Richard Branson’s space tourism company Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. has hired Michelle Kley as general counsel, secretary and executive vice president of legal. 

Kley arrives at Mojave, California-based Virgin Galactic shortly after it made history by becoming the world’s first public commercial space flight company by merging in October with Social Capital Hedosophia, a public investment vehicle. Latham & Watkins and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom advised the two companies on the transaction.