Virgin Galactic Releases Images of New Spaceplane for 2026 Service

Virgin Galactic has released the first images of its new spaceplane, officially named SpaceShip. The vehicle is an upgraded Delta-class design intended to begin commercial suborbital flights later in 2026. The company plans to move the spaceplane from its Arizona assembly site to Spaceport America in New Mexico this summer to start flight tests.

The new vehicle replaces the retired VSS Unity and is built for repeated use with faster turnaround between missions.

Virgin Galactic, part of the Virgin Group founded by Richard Branson, has completed 12 missions that carried 32 people to space. The company uses an air-launch method in which a carrier aircraft takes off from a runway before releasing the spaceplane.

Its competitor Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, has suspended space tourism flights while shifting focus to a lunar lander for NASA missions. Virgin Galactic last conducted a spaceflight in June 2024.

Delta-class spaceplane is designed to seat six passengers and complete up to eight missions per month. The vehicle reaches approximately 54 miles altitude, within the range defined as space by U.S. military and NASA standards. Virgin Galactic has announced a research mission with three astronauts, including Kellie Gerardi, in partnership with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences.

A follow-on mission with university students is planned for early 2027. Commercial passenger flights are targeted to resume toward the end of 2026 at a price of $750,000 per seat. During a typical flight, passengers experience several minutes of weightlessness and views of Earth before the spaceplane returns to land on the same runway used for takeoff.