Virgin Galactic conducted its most recent test flight, the fifth spaceflight in its history, in late May as part of its preparations for commercial service. However, the company faced numerous delays and setbacks throughout its development journey. After completing its initial SpaceShipTwo test flights in 2013, Virgin temporarily suspended its efforts following the tragic crash of VSS Enterprise in 2014. Flight testing only resumed in late 2016 with the glide test of VSS Unity. The company achieved space for the first time in 2018 but had to wait until 2021 to conduct its first fully crewed spaceflight with founder Richard Branson on board. Virgin Galactic has faced multiple delays in launching its commercial service, most recently due to the upgrading process of its VMS Eve “mothership,” which carries the SpaceShipTwo vehicles to their launch altitude.
