Virgin Galactic to conduct 1st powered spaceship tests in 3 yearsJuly 6, 2017 - 13:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Virgin Galactic is determined to put its private space travel plans back on track following its tragic 2014 crash. Richard Branson tells Bloomberg that the company is about to resume powered test flights for the first time in close to 3 years, ending a series of glide-only tests that began in December. The company will fly in the atmosphere every 3 weeks, and plans to return to space (or at least, the edge of space) by November or December, Engadget said. It's an ambitious schedule given that Virgin only returned to the sky last September. However, it'll be necessary if the company expects to fulfill its current vision. Branson reiterates that he hopes to start commercial passenger service by the end of 2018, and he'll embark on his own flight by the middle of that year. The big question is whether or not Virgin will make that schedule in the first place. It's clear that the outfit has learned some lessons in recent years, but there's not much leeway in that timetable -- it wouldn't take much to delay the first paid flight by months. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |