Institutional commitments of the ENAC (Italian Civil Aviation Authority) Director General Alexander D’Orsogna in the United States where, this week, he visited the design and engineering center of Virgin Galactic in Tustin, California, dedicated to the development of suborbital flights.

Welcoming the DG, accompanied by ENAC’s Director of Technological Innovation Giovanni Di Antonio, were Virgin Galactic’s CEO Michael Colglazier, together with Vice President Commercial & Corporate Strategy Chelsea Chang, Vice President and General Manager Customer Operations James Willoughby, and Director of Strategy & Commercial Programs Neer Shah.

DG D’Orsogna, thanking Virgin Galactic for the inspiring visit, expressed satisfaction with the company’s commitment to the development of commercial suborbital flights and its technological leadership in the field.

“ENAC, in coordination with major international players such as Virgin Galactic – emphasized the Director General – actively contributes, both technically and regulatorily, to the new horizon of the Space Economy, with a vision that strengthens Italy’s pioneering role in the sector. Within this synergistic ENAC–Virgin Galactic pathway is the feasibility study preparatory to the future activation of suborbital flights from the Grottaglie spaceport: a strategic project for the international expansion of the industry".

During the meeting, the ENAC Director General was escorted through the laboratories dedicated to the development of the Delta Spaceship, visiting the areas devoted to the design of the latest generation spacecraft.

Furthermore, modalities were defined to initiate a study aimed at exploring the development potential of suborbital flights to benefit the territory and the national industry.