Virgin Galactic has delayed the first commercial flight of its new Delta-class spaceship from late 2026 until February 2027 at the earliest. The postponement matters because the company paused its previous suborbital tourist service in 2024 to concentrate on this next-generation vehicle, making the Delta programme central to restarting regular flights.

Chief executive Michael Colglazier said the delay stemmed from hundreds of small assembly and installation issues, including components being marginally outside required dimensions, rather than a single major fault. Ground testing is due to begin later in August; Virgin Galactic says it has sold more than 50 future tickets at $750,000 each, generating over $50 million in bookings, and expects a second spacecraft to enter commercial service in the second quarter of 2027.