In advance of the first flight test of Virgin Galactic’s next generation Spaceship, the company announced today that VSS Unity, its prototype Spaceship, has returned to the skies above Spaceport America in New Mexico for the first of several anticipated glide flights. These flights are designed to prepare the company’s pilots and operations teams ahead of new Spaceship operations.
“Unity’s glide characteristics and energy-management profile provide an outstanding real-world proxy for our new Spaceship,” said Virgin Galactic Spaceline President Mike Moses. “Using a proven vehicle in this way prepares our pilots and operations teams to move through flight testing for our new Spaceship more efficiently and with greater confidence than simulator training alone could provide.”
Unity’s glide profile, landing approach and view from the cockpit match the new Spaceship, giving pilots live experience in the glide conditions they will encounter when the new vehicle takes flight.
The glide flights are as much about what happens on the ground as in the air. Ground crew, maintenance teams, and Mission Control are all running live operations, building the rhythm, muscle memory, and cross-team coordination needed to support an increasing cadence of spaceflight activity as the new Spaceship program advances.
Virgin Galactic expects to perform glide tests with the first of its new Spaceships in Q3 2026 and rocket-powered test flights to space in Q4 2026. These next-generation Spaceships are designed to fly twice per week with an expected vehicle lifetime of more than 500 missions – intended to unlock the economics of a spaceline built to be profitable at scale.
About Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company, pioneering human-first spaceflight for private individuals, researchers, and governments with its advanced Spaceships and launch vehicle. Scale and profitability are driven by next-generation vehicles capable of taking humans to space at an unprecedented frequency with an industry-leading cost structure. You can find more information at https://www.virgingalactic.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding Virgin Galactic’s spaceflight systems, and planned timeline for glide flights, testing and commercial service using Virgin Galactic’s Spaceships and preparation for Virgin Galactic’s pilots and operations teams, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Virgin Galactic’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to any delay in future testing or commercial flights of Virgin Galactic’s spaceflight fleet, Virgin Galactic’s ability to successfully develop and test its next generation vehicles, and the time and costs associated with doing so, Virgin Galactic’s expected capital requirements and the availability of additional financing, and the other factors, risks and uncertainties included in Virgin Galactic’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, as such factors may be updated from time to time in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section of Virgin Galactic’s website at www.virgingalactic.com, which could cause its actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. While Virgin Galactic may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it disclaims any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause its views to change.
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