Virgin Galactic Unveils Next-Gen Spaceplane—Here’s When It Will Fly

Virgin Galactic is gearing up for a major step forward in its goal to make space tourism a reality with the upcoming construction of its first Delta SpaceShip. This next-generation suborbital spaceplane is set to begin assembly in March 2025 at a new facility located near Phoenix, Arizona. This move is a crucial part of the company’s plan to start commercial flights by mid-2026.

The timeline for getting the Delta SpaceShip ready for commercial operations is ambitious but appears to be within reach. Assembly starting in March 2025 will lead to test flights in the spring of 2026. These test flights are expected to be more efficient than those conducted with the company’s previous spacecraft, VSS Unity, because they will use the extensive flight data collected from Unity to make comparisons and streamline the testing process.

Commercial flights are planned to begin in mid-2026, initially focusing on carrying research payloads. These research flights, which are expected to number between six and ten, will serve two purposes: advancing scientific research and providing additional operational testing before the company starts flying private astronauts in the fall of 2026.

Once private astronaut flights begin, Virgin Galactic plans to quickly ramp up the number of flights, aiming to reach a rate of two flights per week. The company hopes to achieve this increased flight frequency by early 2027 at the latest. This aggressive schedule is a key part of Virgin Galactic’s strategy to become profitable.

The Delta SpaceShip is not just a minor upgrade from its predecessor, VSS Unity; it represents a major technological advancement. While it builds on the successful design of Unity, the Delta benefits from the knowledge and data gathered during Unity’s operational life. This allows the testing phase for Delta to be more focused and efficient, as the company can concentrate on confirming Delta’s performance against established benchmarks rather than making gradual improvements.

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Virgin Galactic’s financial future is closely tied to the success of the Delta SpaceShip program. In 2024, the company reported an adjusted EBITDA loss of $288.5 million, which is an improvement over the $427 million loss in 2023.

The company has $657 million in cash and equivalents, which should be enough to fund the completion of the Delta SpaceShip program. The shift to regular commercial flights is essential for the company to achieve positive EBITDA and long-term financial stability.

In addition to space tourism, Virgin Galactic is looking into other opportunities to expand its business. The company’s unique “mothership” aircraft, VMS Eve, which can carry heavy payloads to altitudes of 15,000 meters, is a valuable asset.

Virgin Galactic is exploring the possibility of creating new versions of VMS Eve for high-altitude, long-endurance missions, with a focus on securing government and research contracts in areas like intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. This initiative is still in the early stages of design but could open up new opportunities for the company to grow its operations and revenue.