The Fate Of The Flight Of Three Italian Astronaut Candidates With Unity 23 Is Now In Limbo

The Unity 23 mission is now indefinitely pending an FAA investigation. (photo: endgadget)

JAKARTA - Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. is ready to launch its first commercial research mission called "Unity 23" with the Italian Air Force into space.

The space travel company has set late September or early October as the time for a mission that will carry three paying crew members from the Air Force and Rome-based government agency National Research Council.

The crew will study the effects on the human body as they move from gravity to a low-gravity atmosphere and provide insights for future spaceflight systems and technologies.

Here’s all the details on @VirginGalactic’s next rocket-powered flight - its first commercial, human-tended research mission: https://t.co/hStKB8FiVG pic.twitter.com/MAA3wBc0au

— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) September 2, 2021

The mission follows the first successful crewed test flight into space by a Virgin Galactic passenger rocket in July.

The company had said in July that it planned at least two more test flights of the spacecraft before starting regular commercial operations in 2022.

One of those flights will carry four Italian astronauts in training, according to Chief Executive Michael Colglazier.

But as the US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating irregularities in the descent of the flight that brought billionaire Richard Branson into space.

Most likely, Unity 23's flight schedule with its comfortable crew will be delayed until the FAA's investigation into the case of the accident that occurred on Unity 22 can be completed. If not, then get ready, the mission of the three Italian astronaut candidates will run aground in the middle of the road.