18 October 2026Science

Virgin Galactic and AFRL to gather space weather data on SpaceShip flights

Virgin Galactic announced a two-year agreement with AFRL to evaluate sensors for collecting space weather data on SpaceShip flights.

By Tim from Earth

Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo 'Unity' at rollout event. — SpaceShipTwo 'Unity' at rollout event on 19 February 2016 in Virgin Galactic FAITH hangar, Mojave, California, USA. Ronrosano via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Virgin Galactic has announced a two-year cooperative research and development agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory's space warfare directorate. The company announced the deal on 14 October.

Under the agreement, AFRL will evaluate integrating sensor systems with Virgin Galactic's next-generation SpaceShip to collect space weather data during flight. The information is meant to help researchers understand the impact of space weather on satellites and infrastructure in orbit. SpaceShip is due for its first commercial flight in February 2027.

SpaceShipTwo spaceplane resting under its mothership, White Knight Two. — The Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo spaceplane (central fuselage) resting under its mothership, White Knight Two, inside a hangar in Mojave, Ca., USA. Virgin Galactic/Mark Greenberg via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The suborbital flights give AFRL a look at the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, between 60 and 110 kilometres above Earth. That region is too low for satellites to operate, but space weather there can disrupt GPS signals and communications.

Sourceairandspaceforces.com

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