Virgin Galactic completes new Delta space plane manufacturing facility in Arizona
The company says the factory is "an important milestone in the development of our fleet of next-generation spaceships."
![a large complex consisting of several large white buildings, seen from high in the air](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wXpVbk6CKf4risNS2p3ZYn-320-80.jpg)
Virgin Galactic's future fleet of commercial space planes will now have a home where they will be brought to life starting next year.
Virgin Galactic's new "Delta" class space planes are set to take flight no earlier than 2026. The final flight of their previous space plane, VSS Unity, took place on June 8 and saw a Turkish astronaut and three space tourists reach suborbital space and experience a few minutes of weightlessness. Virgin Galactic has already named an international group of crew members for one of the first Delta class flights, which will include past Virgin Galactic American private astronaut Kellie Gerardi, who flew aboard Galactic 05 in November 2023, along with Canadian Shawna Pandya and Ireland's Norah Patten to space no earlier than 2026.
To help build its fleet of Delta class vehicles, The aerospace company announced in a statement that its new multi-use facility has been completed in Mesa, Arizona, and preparations are now underway to make it the main location for building and assembling its next generation Delta space planes.
Virgin Galactic expects to install final manufacturing hardware at the end of the year. After that, upon the arrival of major subassemblies such as the feathering system, fuselage, and wings, Virgin Galactic's team anticipates the building to begin on its initial pair of Delta ships in 2025.
Once production and ground testing are complete, the finished spaceships will head to Spaceport America in New Mexico to undergo a flight test before commercial operations are anticipated to start in 2026.
"The completion of our new manufacturing facility is an important milestone in the development of our fleet of next-generation spaceships, the key to our scale and profitability," Michael Colglazier, Virgin Galactic CEO, said in the statement. "Tooling will begin arriving in a matter of months to support spaceship final assembly, which we expect to commence in Q1 2025."
There are two hangars that include several bays at the multiuse facility, which will allow for utmost flexibility when it comes to the manufacturing and testing of space vehicles. Virgin Galactic uses a digital twin technology, which will allow a "seamless" connection with real-time collaboration between workers at the facility and the company's suppliers.
Get the Space.com Newsletter
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
Each of the Delta spaceships have room for up to six passengers and can carry out missions up to eight times per month.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Meredith is a regional Murrow award-winning Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and science/space correspondent. She most recently was a Freelance Meteorologist for NY 1 in New York City & the 19 First Alert Weather Team in Cleveland. A self-described "Rocket Girl," Meredith's personal and professional work has drawn recognition over the last decade, including the inaugural Valparaiso University Alumni Association First Decade Achievement Award, two special reports in News 12's Climate Special "Saving Our Shores" that won a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, multiple Fair Media Council Folio & Press Club of Long Island awards for meteorology & reporting, and a Long Island Business News & NYC TV Week "40 Under 40" Award.
-
MikeMc
Back in 2004, I couldn't have imagined that it might take 25 years before regularly scheduled flights would begin. Wow. I don't know how many years they will stay in business but they will go out of business at some point. I almost feel like suborbital space is a little pointless at this stage of the game, when actual orbital is so achievable. I feel like you would almost have to be a millionaire to justify the price tag of suborbital, and you would only be in space for a few minutes anyway. Meanwhile, other space tourists will be visiting a space hotel in orbit for a week at a time or longer, which will be a much more impressive experience.Admin said:Virgin Galactic has completed its new multi-use manufacturing facility in Arizona, where it plans to begin assembly on its new Delta space plane fleet in 2025.
Virgin Galactic completes new Delta space plane manufacturing facility in Arizona : Read more