Spaceplane with $850,000 ticket showcased for the first time
Virgin Galactic has presented a new generation spaceplane designed for space travel. Named Apeiron, the vehicle is the first representative of the Delta class, with which the company intends to resume taking passengers into space in 2027.
Spaceplane with $850,000 tickets unveiled for the first time
The new spaceplane has been named Spaceship Apeiron. The word Apeiron in Ancient Greek means "infinite" or "boundless". This name was chosen through a public vote, in which thousands of people from 83 countries participated.
Initially, Virgin Galactic employees submitted 276 name suggestions for the spaceplane. The company shortlisted four of them for the final stage. In the voting, the Apeiron option beat Horizon, Explorer, and Ascend.
The presentation was held on October 28 at the company's manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona. On the same day, the spaceplane, attached to the VMS Eve mothership aircraft, was delivered to Spaceport America in New Mexico. This location will become the vehicle's permanent base.
Now engineers will complete the configuration and testing of the avionics software, preparing the spaceplane for flight tests. Once the tests are successfully completed, a transition to commercial flights is planned. According to updated company information, initial passenger flights with Apeiron are expected to take place at the beginning of the second quarter of 2027.
The Delta class will replace Virgin Galactic's previous spaceplane, VSS Unity. VSS Unity conducted seven suborbital flights between the summer of 2023 and the summer of 2024. After that, the company halted its flights to direct its funds and resources toward creating new-generation vehicles.
Virgin Galactic plans to use the new spaceplanes much more frequently. Once regular operation is established, each Delta vehicle is expected to fly up to eight times a month.
Currently, the second spaceplane of this series is also under construction. The company plans to begin its commercial flights at the end of the second quarter or the beginning of the third quarter of 2027.
Hundreds of future space tourists are awaiting the launch of the new vehicles. According to Virgin Galactic's second-quarter 2026 report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, nearly 675 people who previously purchased tickets are still waiting in line for a suborbital flight.
More than 100 of them are entering the initial training phase. Once the second Delta spaceplane is commissioned, other ticket holders are also expected to be brought into the training process.