Virgin Galactic Returns to the Sky — But Can It Survive Long Enough to Matter?

Virgin Galactic Returns to the Sky — But Can It Survive Long Enough to Matter?

Virgin Galactic flew again. After more than a year and a half grounded, the Richard Branson-founded space tourism company launched its VSS Unity spaceplane on a suborbital test flight, marking a critical step in its attempt to prove that commercial space tourism is more than a billionaire’s vanity project. The flight, which took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, reached the edge of space and returned safely — a technical success by any m…