# Virgin Galactic names first Delta-class spacecraft Apeiron ahead of 2027 tests

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/heres-virgin-galactics-new-apeiron-spaceship/
- Published: 2026-10-28T14:17:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T14:33:22+00:00
- Original publisher: The Verge
- Original article: https://www.theverge.com/science/1020607/virgin-galactic-apeiron-2027-commercial-spaceflight
- Topics: Business, Companies, Culture, Elections, Politics, Space, Technology, Travel

## Key points

- 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.

## Summary

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.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.