Virgin Galactic Moves First New Spaceplane to New Mexico for Flight Testing

Virgin Galactic moved its first newly designed spaceplane to its New Mexico operations base for flight testing. The company used its White Knight Two carrier aircraft to transport the vehicle from Arizona.

Key details

• The spaceplane is the first vehicle of a newly designed model.
• Virgin Galactic targets the second quarter of 2027 to begin commercial service with its six-passenger Delta-class vehicle.

White Knight Two carried Virgin Galactic’s first newly designed spaceplane from Arizona to New Mexico.

Why it matters

The move brings Virgin Galactic’s new vehicle to its operations base for flight testing, a step toward its planned six-passenger commercial service.

What happens next

Virgin Galactic’s next stated milestone is a planned commercial-service start in the second quarter of 2027. What will the flight-testing phase reveal about the Delta-class vehicle?