Virgin Galactic names first Delta-class spacecraft Apeiron ahead of 2027 tests
Virgin Galactic has named its first new Delta-class spacecraft Apeiron, a name chosen through a public poll. The spacecraft’s unveiling comes as the company pushes back its return to commercial spaceflight, with the lead vehicle now expected to fly in early Q2 2027.
Apeiron is leaving the company’s factory in Mesa, Arizona, aboard its Eve carrier aircraft for Spaceport America in New Mexico. There, engineers will complete avionics software testing before flight tests begin. Virgin Galactic says a second spacecraft is expected to start commercial operations in late Q2 or early Q3 2027; its last commercial flight was in June 2024, before it retired VSS Unity.
In short
- Virgin Galactic has named its first new Delta-class spacecraft Apeiron.
- Its first commercial flight is now expected in early Q2 2027.
- Engineers will validate avionics software before flight tests.
Explained simply
Virgin Galactic is a US company that takes paying passengers on brief trips to the edge of space. Its earlier spacecraft, VSS Unity, was carried high by a larger aircraft before igniting its rocket engine; the company stopped flying it in June 2024.
The Delta class is the next generation of spacecraft, designed to carry people on commercial flights. Apeiron is the first of these vehicles, and Eve is the carrier aircraft transporting it from Arizona to Spaceport America in New Mexico.
The planned return to service matters to Virgin Galactic and prospective passengers because the company has been without commercial flights since Unity’s retirement. The new timetable puts test flights before a hoped-for return to paid service in 2027.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Here’s Virgin Galactic’s new Apeiron spaceship”.