Virgin Galactic has confirmed updates to the company’s commercial license will allow the company to fly passengers to space.

Adjustments made by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to Virgin Galactic’s commercial space transportation operator license mark the first time the FAA has licensed a company to fly customers into space.

The announcement follows a recent review of data gathered from a test flight on 22nd May.

The test flight of VMS Eve and VSS Unity marked Virgin Galactic’s third crewed spaceflight and the first-ever spaceflight from Spaceport America, located in New Mexico.

According to the company, the flight achieved a speed of Mach 3 and reached space at an altitude of 55.5 miles.

Following the successful test flight and an “extensive” review of data gathered during the mission, Virgin Galactic said it will continue preparing for an additional three test flights.

These test flights are expected to include Virgin Galactic employees, then Sir Richard Branson himself later in the year.

Michael Colglazier, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Galactic, said: “We’re incredibly pleased with the results of our most recent test flight, which achieved our stated flight test objectives.

“The flight performed flawlessly, and the results demonstrate the safety and elegance of our flight system.

“Today’s approval by the FAA of our full commercial launch license, in conjunction with the success of our May 22 test flight, give us confidence as we proceed toward our first fully crewed test flight this summer.”

The FAA’s announcement comes amid an exciting time for space tourism, with former Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos preparing for a journey into space in July.

Ahead of the planned space trip, Bezos auctioned a passenger seat for a staggering $28 million.

Currently, Virgin Galactic has a sizeable waiting list of individuals hoping to travel to space, many of whom have paid in advance.