PHOENIX, AZ—Virgin Galactic announced the completion of its new manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona. The facility will be dedicated to the final assembly of its next-generation Delta spaceships, with operations set to begin in Q1 2025.

An initial team of Virgin Galactic technical operators and manufacturing personnel have already started preparing the facility to receive and install tooling, which is expected to arrive in Q4 2024. Major subassemblies, including the wing, fuselage, and feathering system, will begin arriving next year as the team ramps up to build the first two ships of the Delta fleet. After completing ground testing in Phoenix, Virgin Galactic’s mothership will transport the finished spaceships to Spaceport America in New Mexico for flight testing, ahead of commercial operations anticipated to start in 2026.

The versatile facility features two hangars with multiple bays designed for maximum flexibility in building and testing space vehicles. Operations at the facility will be supported by the Company’s digital twin technology, which ensures seamless integration between Virgin Galactic and its suppliers through real-time collaboration, enhancing governance, efficiency, and reliability.

“The completion of our new manufacturing facility marks a significant milestone in developing our fleet of next-generation spaceships, crucial to our scalability and profitability,” said Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier. “We expect tooling to begin arriving in a few months, enabling us to start final assembly of the spaceships in Q1 2025.”

In May 2024, Virgin Galactic inaugurated a ground testing facility in Southern California for Delta subsystems, including avionics, feather actuation, pneumatics, and hydraulics, utilizing an Iron Bird test rig.

Virgin Galactic’s Delta spaceships will accommodate up to six private passengers and are designed to fly up to eight missions per month, significantly increasing access to space.