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Virgin Galactic has revealed the design for its Delta class spaceship.
The suborbital space tourism firm posted a video on Wednesday (Aug. 7) showcasing an animation of the Delta design, which is sleek and modular, with components that aim to provide new efficiencies for human spaceflight.
Virgin Galactic says its new Delta ships are being built to operate with an average turnaround time of just three days, which, the firm says, would mark an enormous breakthrough and would structurally change the cost of human spaceflight. Its previous spaceship, VSS Unity, was capable of flying once a month.
The new spacecraft, powered by a hybrid rocket system, will also upgrade from four passengers to six over the old spaceship.
Delta is set to fly for the first time no earlier than 2026. But the company says it is progressing well on design work.
“Progress on our Delta Class spaceship program was substantial in Q2, with the pace of design completion accelerating and tool fabrication underway,” Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said in an Aug. 7 statement alongside the company’s financial results for the second quarter.
“In the next month, our teams will pivot primary focus from design completion to the build and test phases of our production spaceships, which remain on track to enter commercial service in 2026.”
Related: Who is Virgin Galactic and what do they do?
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The firm says it plans to generate revenue of $450 million per year in the years following the first two Delta spaceships entering service. The video also outlines plans for up to five ships at spaceports around the world in the future.
The final flight of the previous space plane, VSS Unity, took place in June. Virgin Galactic then switched to focusing on its Delta plans.
Virgin Galactic hit a major milestone in its new generation spaceship plans last month. The company completed a new Delta space plane manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona in July.
Dr. Sarah Adams is a scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to all. Her articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
