Lyra Martin Tech 08.05.2022 09:Aug AM EDT

Virgin Galactic Suspends Its Space Tourism Flights Once More — When are They Set to Take Place?

According to Virgin Galactic, the mothership refurbishment work would delay the launch of its commercial space travel service until 2023.

Virgin Galactic's Mothership Repairs Will Delay Its Commercial Space Flight

Virgin Galactic has stated that its commercial space travel service would now not launch until the second quarter of 2023, yet another delay. The corporation explained the delay in its profits report as being "caused by the prolonged completion dates within the mothership upgrade program."

The VSS Unity spacecraft is transported to 50,000 feet by the mothership VMS Eve before being launched to the edge of space. The July 7th commencement of the upgrade program aimed to increase flying frequency as well as "reliability, predictability, and durability."

Virgin Galactic said that Boeing's Aurora Flight Sciences would develop and produce its next-generation motherships, which are anticipated to go into service in 2025, at the same time that it disclosed the improvements. The VSS Imagine, a new spacecraft developed by the corporation, will conduct its first test flight in the first quarter of 2023.

Due to a potential problem with the flight control system, Virgin Galactic has already postponed its first commercial flights from Q3 to Q4 2022. Three Italian Air Force personnel were scheduled to be sent into space on the subsequent voyage to investigate the impact of switching from Earth gravity to microgravity on people and the environment.

The business also announced a $111 million quarterly loss yesterday compared to a net revenue loss of $94 million during the second quarter of 2021 and intends to raise $300 million via a stock sale. As of the 30th of June in 2022, the cash position is still quite good, with a total of $1.1 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities.

Virgin Galactic Will Build its Next-Generation Orbital Maneuvers in Mesa

The aerospace sector in Arizona is receiving a significant boost as of late.

Virgin Galactic, a company that provides suborbital space tourism, announced on Thursday (July 14) that it would construct its next-generation Delta class space jets in a manufacturing facility in Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix.

The business, which just announced a deal to build new Delta spaceship carrier planes, said the newly leased facility could produce up to six spaceships annually and bring hundreds of jobs to the area. The business said the plant would create hundreds of jobs.

Construction on the facility at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport has begun, and Virgin Galactic expects it to be ready in 2023. The release did not provide the lease terms, leasing manager, or facility square footage.

Virgin Galactic wants to fly up to 400 suborbital journeys annually using two new motherships and its increasing Delta fleet. Virgin Galactic said "commercial payload flights" will begin in 2025. The Delta-class spacecraft should start carrying paying passengers in 2026.

Its first fully crewed spaceflight commemorated its year anniversary on July 11, 2021. Richard Branson piloted Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity ship, which was launched by VMS Eve.

But since then, Virgin Galactic hasn't launched a mission. Unity and Eve, the only operating spacecraft and carrier aircraft in Virgin Galactic's fleet are undergoing upgrades and maintenance by the business.