Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo flew to New Mexico’s Spaceport America Wednesday, the first time the craft has been in the state since 2011.
Company officials told the Las Cruces Sun-News that the trip was meant as a practice run. Most of its flights have taken place around Mojave, Calif.
Although the company’s owner, Richard Branson, had earlier said he hoped to use the craft to take his family into suborbital space around Christmas, Santa will apparently be late.
On Tuesday, Branson appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and said the flight will probably be in early 2015.
That timeline was echoed by Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides, the Sun-News reported.
“Customers are eager to fly, but they know we’ll fly them when we feel ready,” Whitesides told the Sun-News. “Obviously we want to do it as quickly as possible, but we don’t want to rush it.”
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