Virgin Galactic Flies First Delta-Class Spaceplane, Plots Return in 2027

Company expects first commercial flight of new ‘Apeiron’ vehicle in the early second quarter of 2027.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 01:11 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Virgin Galactic revealed the name of its first ‘Delta-class’ spaceplane, Apeiron, ahead of its delivery to the company’s operations base at Spaceport America in New Mexico. [Credit: Virgin Galactic]

Key Takeaways:

Virgin Galactic is preparing its new "Delta-class" spaceplane, Apeiron, for commercial service in early 2027, with the vehicle currently being delivered and undergoing initial testing.
Apeiron is designed to significantly increase flight frequency and passenger capacity compared to previous models, targeting over 10 flights per month and seats priced above $750,000.
The company's suborbital flights, which remain below the Kármán line, may position Virgin Galactic as the sole commercial suborbital flight provider by 2027, as competitors like Blue Origin have halted operations.

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Virgin Galactic, which offers high-flying commercial tours using suborbital spaceplanes, is preparing its first “Delta-class” vehicle for service in early 2027.

The company said Wednesday that the spaceplane, named Apeiron, will be delivered from its factory in Arizona to its operations base at Spaceport America (9NM9) in New Mexico. According to FlightAware, it is expected to depart Mesa Gateway Airport (KIWA) and arrive at the spaceport around 2:15 p.m. EDT. The vehicle bears the tail number N401VG.