Virgin Galactic Unveils New Spaceplane, SpaceShip
Virgin Galactic Unveils New Spaceplane for Future Commercial Flights
Virgin Galactic, the commercial suborbital spaceflight company founded by billionaire Richard Branson, has rolled out its new spaceplane as part of plans for ground tests in Arizona. This marks one of the earliest glimpses into a vehicle that could be taking paying customers beyond Earth's atmosphere before 2026 comes to an end.
The company has not flown a mission in nearly two years after completing 12 flights to the edge of space. However, this is about to change as Virgin Galactic finalizes its new-and-improved spaceplane designed to operate more frequently from its takeoff site in New Mexico.
A Competitive Landscape
Virgin Galactic is set to resume its commercial spaceflights at a time when the market is wide open. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, one of its main competitors, recently suspended its own space tourism program, shifting focus instead to developing a lunar lander for NASA's Artemis moon missions.
This strategic move leaves a gap in the market that Virgin Galactic is poised to fill with its upcoming spaceplane.
What is Virgin Galactic?
Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company that is part of British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group conglomerate. Like its competitor Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic specializes in transporting paying customers on brief flights to the edge of space. The company operates from Spaceport America in New Mexico and has flown 32 people to space across 12 missions.
Virgin Galactic Unveils First Look at New Spaceplane
Virgin Galactic recently shared a first look at its new spaceplane, which is due to begin taking paying customers to the edge of space later in 2026. Developed to be reused for faster turnaround between missions, the vehicle is an upgraded design from Virgin Galactic's previous spaceplane, according to the company's most recent financial report.
Officially dubbed "SpaceShip," the spaceplane has undergone assembly and ground tests at the company's factory in Arizona. It will be transported later this summer to Spaceport America to begin flight tests.
The fourth-generation "Delta class" spaceship can seat six passengers and would replace the now-retired VSS Unity spaceplane. Each Delta vehicle is estimated to be capable of flying up to eight space missions per month, according to Virgin Galactic.
When Will Virgin Galactic Missions Resume?
Virgin Galactic's introduction of its new spaceplane comes as the company prepares to resume its commercial spaceflight program toward the end of 2026. Nearly two years have elapsed since Virgin Galactic last flew civilian passengers to space in June 2024 before pausing its spaceflight program.
The company has also announced the crew for its next research mission, which would precede commercial trips. In a June 2024 press release, Virgin Galactic revealed that three research astronauts, including a return passenger named Kellie Gerardi, will take part in a scientific mission in partnership with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences.
Another suborbital mission with students at Purdue University is planned for the beginning of 2027, the company announced in September.
How Does a Virgin Galactic Spaceflight Work?
Spaceflights led by Virgin Galactic resemble a traditional commercial aircraft takeoff on a runway. The company uses an air-launch strategy to get its vehicles to the edge of space, which is a sharp difference from its competitor Blue Origin, which uses a standard vertical launching system.
The VMS Eve, known as the mothership, is a four-engine, dual fuselage jet carrier aircraft that transports the spaceplane to what Virgin Galactic refers to as "release altitude." There, the VSS Unity separates from the aircraft to continue to suborbital space using its hybrid propulsion system.
When in service, Unity traveled about 54 miles high, which is still within range of what the U.S. military and NASA define as the beginning of space.
Full Virgin Galactic missions have lasted more than an hour, during which passengers on Unity have been treated to views of Earth and the thin blue line of our planet's atmosphere while experiencing a few minutes of weightlessness. When the missions end, Unity comes back down to Earth to land on the same runway from which it took off.
Cost of a Virgin Galactic Trip
Virgin Galactic had previously been selling seats for about $600,000, according to reporting from Bloomberg. However, the company has made good on its plans to raise prices to $750,000 now that ticket sales have resumed.
