Varda lost multiple opportunities to do re-entry because the feds couldn't get their shit together for a year+.... ...and meanwhile Richard Branson didn't abor

Varda lost multiple opportunities to do re-entry because the feds couldn't get their shit together for a year+.... ...and meanwhile Richard Branson didn't abort a launch when there was a malfunction that caused his craft to massively miss the re-entry flight plan, thus endangering commercial and private aviation. The FAA took less than a month to investigate Virgin's fuckup and said "whatevs, it's cool, just change a few things": https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/29/faa-clears-virgin-galactic-for-flight-after-mishap-investigation.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/29/faa-clears-virgin-galactic-f... It goes to show how the emperor has no clothing when it comes to romanticising space exploration as being this matter of science, knowledge, wonder, etc. Space isn't about any of that as far as the government is concerned. It's about military applications and letting rich people do what they want.