Virgin Galactic has completed the construction of the manufacturing facility where it will assemble the next generation of its Delta spaceships.
Sections of the spaceship which are made in different locations throughout the United States will then be collected and put together at the new facility, located in Phoenix, Arizona.
This two-hangar production facility will be fitted with all the necessary tools and equipment in Q4 2024 and, starting in Q1 2025, it will be able to assemble the first two Delta spaceships.
Virgin Galactic is also using “digital twin” technology, which allows the digital remote visualization of some processes in order to coordinate assembly work with its suppliers.
From Phoenix, the completed Delta vehicles will be transported to Spaceport America, in New Mexico, on Virgin Galactic’s mothership, which is an aircraft specially designed to carry this type of cargo.
Flight tests are expected to begin in New Mexico at some point in 2026. With the new Delta spaceships, Virgin Galactic expects to increase the frequency of the private space missions it offers to eight per month.