The company's program suffered a disaster in 2014 when a spaceplane on a test flight broke apart midair, killing the copilot and seriously injuring the pilot. In 2021, billionaire Branson soared to space aboard Virgin Galactic flight. The company then faced a brief grounding by the federal aviation administration. The US government agency found the Branson flight deviated from its assigned airspace and virgin galactic did not communicate the mishap as required. Later, lab testing revealed certain materials were used in its vehicles had fallen below required strength margins. The company ended its space-flight pause with a successful test in may, paving the way for Thursday's mission.

Virgin Galatic Commercial Space Flights: Beginnings, setbacks and the way ahead

Virgin Galactic begins commercial spaceflights after long wait | All you need to know

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