Virgin Galactic’s Mesa plant to begin assembly of first Delta SpaceShip
Virgin Galactic announced during a recent earnings call that assembly for its first Delta SpaceShip is set to begin this month at its new East Valley factory.
The company — which completed buildout of its Mesa manufacturing facility last summer — expects private astronaut flights to follow in fall of 2026.
“We are excited to share that our first spaceflight with our new Delta SpaceShips is planned for summer 2026,” CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement. “This first spaceflight will carry scientific research, and we expect to begin private astronaut spaceflights in the fall of 2026. We have made tremendous progress with the fabrication of tools and parts, and assembly of the first SpaceShip begins next month in Phoenix.”
Virgin Galactic (NYSE: SPCE) occupies two hangars at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, in its Gateway Executive Park. The company’s presence spans more than 140,000 square feet, where hundreds of engineering and manufacturing employees will work.
The company reported its 2024 financial results, showing revenue of $7 million — on par with the company’s 2023 revenue of $7 million — primarily owing to commercial spaceflights and private membership fees, which run a whopping $600,000 per year. The company also reported a drop in operating expenses, shrinking this year’s net losses to $347 million, compared to $502 million reported in 2023.
The quarterly report showed a drop in revenue compared to the same period last year, which the company credits to the pause in commercial spaceflights to focus on producing the Delta SpaceShips. The report also showed a drop in operating expenses compared to the fourth quarter in 2023, in addition to a drop in operating losses.
Revenue for Q4 came in at $0.4 million, compared to $2.8 million in 2023. Operating expenses notched $82 million, compared to $117 million in Q4 of 2023. Operating losses similarly dipped to $76 million, compared to $104 million in Q4 2023.
Investors seemed neutral following the call, showing a slight plateau in the company’s soft pullback on share values.
Virgin Galactic recently shared that the company is exploring a potential second spaceport in the Puglia region of Italy, dependent on the outcome of a feasibility study with Italy’s civil aviation authority. The company also announced a partnership with Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW) to manufacture research payload lockers for the new Delta SpaceShips. The platform promises to upgrade microgravity research capabilities for both autonomous and human-tended research, according to company statement.
The Delta Class SpaceShips will be capable of flying eight space missions per month with 12 times the monthly capacity of Virgin Galactic’s original spaceship, VSS Unity, the company reports.