Virgin Galactic

Founded by Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic constructs commercial spacecraft with the goal of providing space travelers with suborbital spaceflights. Virgin Galactic is the first commercial spaceline created for space travel. Its feather technology allows its spaceship to fold in half, with the wings moving upward, offering unobstructed views of space. Virgin Galactic's suborbital aircraft are launched from beneath VMS Eve mothership (previously known as White Knight Two), a carrier plane. Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spacecraft made its first spaceflight in 2018. Founder Richard Branson and three other colleagues boarded a flight as passengers in July 2021.

In February 2022, the startup opened ticket sales to the public. A trip that lasts around 90 minutes costs USD 450,000 and was slated to commence in Q1 2023. Up to six passengers and two pilots can go to suborbital space at a time in a flight. In February 2023 , the VMS Eve mothership took to the skies for the first time after undergoing mechanical upgrades. Although the results were not disclosed, according to flight tracking data the test flight lasted over two and a half hours and reached an altitude of 12,650 meters. In May 2023 , conducted its first suborbital launch after a nearly two-year hiatus with the Unity 25 mission. It carried a crew of six and two pilots to an altitude of 44,500 ft for 90 minutes. Following this, in June 2023 , the company completed the maiden launch of its commercial spaceflight, VSS Unity. Named Galactic 01, the mission carried 13 research payloads and a three-member crew. The company expected to launch monthly commercial flights after the Galactic 02 mission which was slated for August 2023.

In June 2024 , Virgin Galactic launched its VSS Unity spacecraft with 6 crew members for its Galactic 07 mission, also marking its second launch mission in 2024. 

In July 2024 , the company concluded the construction of its new manufacturing facility and hangar complex at the Mesa Gateway Airport. The new facility would begin assembling the Delta spaceships by 2025. 

Key customers and partnerships

In April 2020, the company entered into a space act agreement with NASA relating to the development of high-speed point-to-point travel technologies and into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rolls-Royce in August 2020 to join in designing and developing engine propulsion technology for high-speed commercial aircraft. In November 2022 , the company partnered with space infrastructure developer Axiom Space, to conduct microgravity research and training missions.

Virgin Galactic partnered with Axiom Space again in May 2024 to deliver the Axiom Mission 3 backup and a Turkish Space Agency (TUA) astronaut on a suborbital flight for microgravity research.