Virgin Galactic completes new new manufacturing facility in Phoenix

Virgin Galactic Holdings announced the completion of its new manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona, where final assembly of its next-generation Delta spaceships is scheduled to take place starting in Q1 2025. An initial team of Virgin Galactic technical operations and manufacturing personnel has begun preparing the facility to receive and install tooling, expected to arrive in Q4. The facility will then begin to receive major subassemblies, including the wing, the fuselage, and the feathering system next year, as the team scales to build the first two ships of the Delta fleet. Once ground testing in Phoenix is complete, Virgin Galactic’s mothership will ferry completed spaceships to Spaceport America, New Mexico for flight test ahead of commercial operations, which are expected to begin in 2026. The multiuse facility includes two hangars equipped with multiple bays, designed for maximum flexibility in building and testing space vehicles. Work at the facility will be supported by the Company’s digital twin technology, which enables seamless integration between Virgin Galactic and suppliers through real-time collaboration, promoting strong governance and increased efficiency and reliability. Virgin Galactic’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.