Virgin Galactic has postponed the first commercial flight of its new spaceship to 2027 after encountering several assembly issues. The company has been developing its 'Delta class' of spaceships for years and even stopped offering suborbital trips in 2024 after seven successful commercial flights to focus on the next‑gen vehicle. Originally, the new ship was slated for tests this year and a first flight in Q4 2026.

During an earnings call, Michael Colglazier, Virgin Galactic’s CEO, explained that the delay was due to 'hundreds of relatively small but important installation tasks.' He noted that many components were 'a few thousandths of an inch taller or shorter' than expected, requiring time to correct.

The company already sold over 50 tickets at $750,000 each for future suborbital tourist flights, totaling more than $50 million in bookings. Despite the delay, Colglazier said the financial outlook remains healthy and a second spaceship is already in production, targeted for commercial use in Q2 2027. Colglazier also highlighted that the company intends to launch 10 flights a month by the end of that quarter.

Virgin Galactic has opened a poll for the new vehicle’s name, offering four options—Horizon, Explorer, Ascend, and Apeiron. The company plans to begin ground tests later this month and aims to launch 10 flights a month by the end of Q2 2027.