This archive report was first published on 3 May 2021.
Virgin Galactic, the space tourism company founded by Richard Branson, has faced numerous challenges in its pursuit of space travel. Despite its efforts to innovate, the company has struggled to overcome its reliance on nostalgia for aeronautical flight.
According to Luke Colby, a propulsion engineer who worked on Virgin Galactic's spaceship program, the company's DNA as a rocket plane company may be its greatest challenge. Colby, who has also consulted for SpaceX and Blue Origin, believes that Virgin Galactic's focus on nostalgia has hindered its ability to adopt a more physics-driven approach to spaceflight.
“If you want a space vehicle to be fully reusable for airline-like traffic, it doesn’t have to look like an airplane,” Colby said. “It just has to function like one. And the physics really drive you toward a two-stage, vertical-take-off-and-vertical-landing rocket.”
Virgin Galactic's problems are not limited to its approach to spaceflight. The company has also faced challenges related to human nature, including its high standards for safety and its tendency to set unrealistic goals. As one test pilot noted, “Ninety-nine percent isn’t good enough.”
Despite these challenges, Virgin Galactic remains committed to its mission of making space travel accessible to everyone. The company's new CEO, Michael Colglazier, has vowed to address the company's past difficulties and move forward with a renewed sense of purpose.
