It's unfortunate that the names of the faceless aparatchiks making such ludicrous decisions aren't made public so they may be lampooned mercilessly.

US "National Security"???

He papaer-pushers - that freakin cow is OUT of the barn already, has hopped the pasture fence, and is on it's way to town for dinner and a movie!

Unless, of course, Sir Richard has become a stealth US citizen (doubtful).

Keep it up, pinheads. The international owners of this "US Security Interest" may just give you the finger and move the biz elsewhere.

And THEN what would Ahnold and Billy Richardson be able to take credit for simply by showing up?

'Ahnold'. Heh, I'm going to use it.

"CFIUS, part of the US Treasury Department, reviews all acquisitions by foreigners in companies deemed important to national security."

Precisely what "national security" interest does the US have in Virgin Galactic?

If VSS2 collides with a secret US satellite in orbit, and causes WW3, then you'll be sorry! Or, if they hit and dent a UFO, are they covered by insurance? You bet they'll want some government behind them then!
And what happens if they fall into a black-hole/time warp, destroying reality as we know it? There could be dire consequences to destroying the known universe!

Would they prefer it if Virgin Galactic were based in Abu Dhabi, rather than just taking their money? No? I didn't think so.

I can't wait for Atlas to shrug. He will and it is actions like this which bring that day ever closer.

If the Statists make doing business too difficult, they might only succeed in making a business case for the European 'commercial space ship' which thus far is just another paperplane which could not compete in a truly free market. Another possible option is the British Skylon which might or might not succeed but is more than a paper plane if less than an airframe.

It is really unfortuneate so few of these people have any idea whatever about what makes the country they were born in tick. One clue: it ain't the government.

Precisely what "national security" interest does the US have in Virgin Galactic?

They're operating out of a US base, and funding a US designer/manufacturer (Rutan). And the capability to approach orbit encompasses the capability to launch a sub-orbital missile.

It's a plausible concern to me. Not selling defense technology to potentially hostile actors, or even neutral re-sellers, is a reasonable state regulation. But there's something to be said for handling this kind of thing quietly and tactfully. I somehow doubt Richard Branson and Burt Rutan are conspiring to sell missile tech to the arabs. And it should be easy enough to lock them out of design access and majority shareholder status and still take their money and pay their dividends.

They are operating from an airport founded by a private individual for private flight testing; the spacecraft was privately designed, privately funded and privately built. It is private from the git-go.

The State should just eff off. "I am not a slave" as a Mr Howard Rourke would put it.

Oho, I think I recognise NASA trying to protect their pitch.

Of course, NASA don't actually achieve anything these days, apart from employing lots of people and giving them expensive healtchare packages and generous pensions, but then that is just the working of the Iron Law.

If they really want to destroy Branson's venture, the best thing would be to nationalise it and give it lots of public money. Then it would be just like NASA.

Nope, it isn't NASA. The folk at the top of NASA these days are very pro-NewSpace. This item is most likely disconnected from politics per-se and is just a bureaucracy proving its worth by trying to what it was told to do by congress: wreck the american aerospace industry.

As to political machinations, there are things going on and you will often find the name Shelby involved.

"As to political machinations, there are things going on and you will often find the name Shelby involved."

In a good way or a bad way?

As to political machinations, there are things going on and you will often find the name Shelby involved.

NASA's trying to go to space in a custom Ford Mustang?

No, Shelby of Tennessee, of whom I have written before. He's the one who seems to be in the pocket of the big aerospace companies.

But I must admit, I had this immediate vision of you pulling over a Shelby spaceship and ticketing them for doing Mach 10 in a Mach 8 zone ;-)

But I must admit, I had this immediate vision of you pulling over a Shelby spaceship and ticketing them for doing Mach 10 in a Mach 8 zone ;-)

He'd better stay in the spaceship.

Or else.

Just watch where you point that laser and be sure its set to stun!