Posted: Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 5:38 PM ET (2238 GMT)
Virgin Galactic aborted a SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceflight in New Mexico Dec. 12. SpaceShipTwo was released from its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft at about 11:15 am EST (1615 GMT), nearly an hour after takeoff from Spaceport America in New Mexico. However, the spaceplane's engine shut down within a second of ignition, and it glided back to a safe landing at the spaceport. Virgin Galactic said that a computer on SpaceShipTwo lost connection around the time of ignition, triggering the abort. An investigation to find the root cause of the computer issue is underway.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Reuters article
•  Albuquerque Journal article
•  Washington Post article
•  Cosmic Log article