MOVE OVER, HOUSTON
Virgin Galactic recently announced the completion of its new space shuttle manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, where final assembly of its next-generation Delta spaceships will begin in early 2025.
Teams from Virgin’s technical and manufacturing operations have begun preparing the facility to install tooling, which is expected to arrive in late 2024.
The facility will then begin to receive major subassemblies, including the wing, fuselage and feathering system. Once ground testing is complete, Virgin’s mothership will ferry completed spaceships to Spaceport America, New Mexico, for flight testing ahead of commercial operations, which are expected to begin in 2026.
The multi-use facility includes two hangars, each with multiple bays that allow for maximum flexibility in building and testing space vehicles. Work in the hanger will be supported by Virgin’s digital-twin technology, which enables seamless integration between Virgin and its suppliers through real-time collaboration, promoting strong governance and increased efficiency and reliability.
Virgin’s Delta spaceships will seat up to six private passengers, and each is expected to be capable of flying up to eight missions per month, dramatically increasing access to space.
