spacetoday.net: Virgin Galactic to start assembling first Delta-class suborbital spaceplane

Posted: Sat, Mar 1, 2025, 11:17 AM ET (1617 GMT)
Virgin Galactic plans to start assembly of the first of a new line of suborbital spaceplanes next month. The company said on an earnings call Wednesday that assembly of the first Delta SpaceShip will start in March at a new facility near Phoenix as subassemblies and other components of the vehicle arrive from suppliers. Virgin expects to begin flight tests of the spaceplane next spring, quickly moving into operational flights carrying research payloads in mid-2026 and then private astronauts in the fall of 2026. The Delta SpaceShip is key to Virgin's plans to fly much more frequently and at lower cost in order to become profitable.