Virgin Galactic's New Spaceship Manufacturing Hub in Arizona

• Virgin Galactic announces a new spaceship manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, set to enhance space travel and commercial flights.

• The Delta class spaceship, Virgin Galactic's latest innovation, is designed to fly weekly, signifying a leap in space travel frequency and capability.

• The facility will generate hundreds of skilled jobs and aims to produce up to six spaceships annually, marking a significant increase in flight frequency.

Virgin Galactic, a renowned aerospace and space travel company, has recently taken a significant step forward in its operations. The company announced the establishment of a new spaceship manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona. This state-of-the-art facility is a substantial development in the realm of commercial space travel, showcasing Virgin Galactic's commitment to advancing its capabilities and infrastructure【12†source】【13†source】【14†source】【15†source】【16†source】.

The Mesa facility, strategically located near the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, is designed to produce up to six spaceships per year. This enhanced production capacity is set to revolutionize Virgin Galactic's flight frequency, positioning the company to undertake more frequent space missions. Moreover, this development is not just a win for Virgin Galactic but also for the Greater Phoenix area, as it promises to bring hundreds of highly skilled aerospace engineering and manufacturing jobs to the region【20†source】.

The spotlight of this new facility is the Delta class spaceship, which represents Virgin Galactic's next evolutionary step in commercial space travel. The Delta class is engineered to fly on a weekly basis, a significant leap from the current flight schedules. This increased frequency supports the company's vision of conducting 400 flights per year from Spaceport America. The facility in Mesa will be pivotal in assembling these next-generation spaceships, further emphasizing Virgin Galactic's role in advancing the frontier of space exploration【21†source】【22†source】【23†source】.

Key partnerships have been formed for this endeavor. Virgin Galactic has collaborated with Bell Textron and Qarbon Aerospace to manufacture critical subassemblies for the Delta class spaceships. Bell Textron will provide the unique feathering system and flight control surfaces, while Qarbon Aerospace will produce the fuselage and wing, following a competitive selection process based on their expertise in meeting Virgin Galactic’s design and fabrication requirements【32†source】【33†source】.

Virgin Galactic will oversee the overall system architecture, asserting design authority for all components involved in the Delta class spaceships. The company is responsible for the final assembly, integration, checkout, and acceptance testing of these vehicles. Virgin Galactic's CEO, Michael Colglazier, has highlighted that the Delta class spaceships are a significant evolution in their flight system, designed for improved manufacturability, maintenance, and flight rate capability. The first of these new Delta class spaceships are anticipated to begin revenue-generating payload flights by late 2025, and will progress to private astronaut flights in 2026, marking a new era in space travel【34†source】【35†source】.

References

1. https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/virgin-galactic-spaceship-hub-arizona
2. https://investors.virgingalactic.com/news/news-details/2022/Virgin-Galactic-Announces-New-Spaceship-Manufacturing-Facility-in-Mesa-Arizona/default.aspx
3. https://www.virgin.com/about-virgin/latest/virgin-galactic-announces-new-spaceship-factory
4. https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/virgin-galactic-building-new-spaceship-assembly-plant-near-phoenix-mesa-gateway-airport
5. https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-selects-arizona-for-spaceplane-manufacturing/
6. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220714005621/en/