Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. is making final preparations for its fifth spaceflight in five months.
The flight window for the private spaceflight company’s Galactic 04 mission opened Thursday. In a launch update earlier this week, Virgin Galactic
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said that the flight would take place on Friday, the second day of the flight window. The change gives Virgin Galactic’s team an additional day to complete vehicle prep and checks, the company said. “We look forward to taking to the skies in a few days!” Virgin Galactic tweeted.
Related: Virgin Galactic says window for fifth spaceflight in five months will open Oct. 5
“L-1”, or, launch day minus one, Virgin Galactic tweeted Thursday.
On Friday morning Virgin Galactic tweeted that take off is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT, which was then pushed back to no earlier than 11:40 a.m. EDT. Virgin Galactic’s stock is flat Friday. The company’s stock has fallen 53.5% in 2023.
The three private astronauts on the Galactic 04 mission are American astronomy educator Ron Rosano, British ad executive Trevor Beattie, and Pakistan’s Namira Salim, founder and executive chairperson of Space Trust, Space.com reports. Salim is Pakistan’s first astronaut, according to Virgin Galactic.
Related: Virgin Galactic completes 4th spaceflight in 4 months, but stock sinks to another record low
Virgin Galactic completed its fourth spaceflight in four months on Sept. 8, but its stock sank to a record low. The company made its first private astronaut spaceflight on Aug. 10, when the Galactic 02 mission took the second-youngest person ever into space and the first mother-daughter duo.
In June, Virgin Galactic’s Galactic 01 mission transported three crew members from the Italian air force and the National Research Council of Italy into space to conduct research on microgravity. After the Galactic 02 mission, the company said it expects monthly flights to follow.
Related: Virgin Galactic makes its first private spaceflight, taking 18-year-old to space
In July, Virgin Galactic reported a second-quarter net loss, which it said was primarily driven by an increase in research and development expenses related to the development of its future fleet.
In a filing in June, the company said it’s seeking to raise $400 million to develop its spaceship fleet and infrastructure and scale up its commercial operations.
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