Virgin Galactic to send Italian researchers to space, then regular commercial flights

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Virgin Galactic says it’s aiming to launch its next flight at the end of June. This time the space tourism company will take up a team of researchers with the Italian Air Force and the National Research Centre of Italy to conduct microgravity research. Virgin Galactic announced Wednesday that the window for the research flight will begin June 27 and span the following three days. The exact timing of the launch will depend on the weather. Virgin Galactic also announced that flights for ticket-holding customers are scheduled to begin in August, with plans calling for monthly flights after that.