TheTechno Optimist.

Delta-class spaceshipsVirgin Galactic—Virgin Galactic delivers Delta-1 SpaceShip to test and launch hangarDelta-class spaceshipsVirgin Galactic—Virgin Galactic delays commercial flights to February 2027 due to avionics installation workDelta-class spaceshipsVirgin Galactic—Virgin Galactic powers up Delta-1 systems for first time, moves toward flight test campaign

Virgin Galactic

Suborbital tourism, Delta-class spaceships, space explorer flights

USpublic~708 staffest. 2004virgingalactic.com (opens virgingalactic.com)Checked 10 Oct

The brief

Analyst view
  • Went public October 2019 (SPCE); Richard Branson flew to space July 2021 aboard VSS Unity.
  • VSS Unity flew 12 flights by mid-2024, then paused to prepare Delta-class production.
  • Delta-class: six passengers, ~8 flights/month. First Delta in ground testing; commercial flights targeted Feb 2027.

Technical approach

As reported
Air-launch

Carried aloft by carrier plane

Spaceships drop from White Knight Two at altitude, avoiding heavy ground infrastructure.

Hybrid rocket

Hybrid motor, glide landing

Rocket motor burns solid fuel with liquid oxidizer, shuts off at apogee. Spaceplane glides to runway landing.

Suborbital arc

90 km altitude, brief weightlessness

Reaches the Kármán line. Passengers experience minutes of weightlessness, see Earth's curve, then glide down.

High cadence

Eight flights per month per vehicle

Delta design enables rapid turnaround with modular components, supporting faster refueling and servicing than Unity.

Primer