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Virgin Galactic working on final preparations for flight to space

Virgin Galactic working on final preparations for flight to space
Posted at 4:38 PM, Oct 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-15 16:38:00-04

Virgin Galactic is preparing to land among the stars.

On Wednesday, Virgin Galactic said they were working on its final preparations at its base in New Mexico as the VSS Unity is scheduled to launch into space from Spaceport America sometime in the fall.

The company said the ship would be crewed by two pilots and several research payloads in the cabin.

Virgin Galactic says its top priority is safety, so they want to make sure the pilots are prepared for the task at hand.

To do just that, they will be using VMS Eve as an in-flight simulator. The pilots will use Eve to practice the identical approach and landing pattern since it's similar to Unity's, Chief Pilot Dave Mackay stated.

"The cockpit structure of Eve is almost identical to that of Unity: the same pilot seats and windows, as well as very similar flight controls and instruments," Mackay said in the press release.

The company will go through a full, planned rehearsal before the VSS Unity takes flight.