Chao Sturckow Branson astronaut wings
Secretary of Transportation pins FAA astronaut wings on Virgin Galactic pilot Frederick “CJ” Sturckow during a Feb. 7 ceremony in Washington as Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson looks on. Credit: FAA

WASHINGTON — The two pilots who flew SpaceShipTwo to the edge of space in December received commercial astronaut wings last week, joining an elite group that won’t necessarily become much larger even with the anticipated growth of commercial spaceflight.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...