Soaring Ambitions: Virgin Galactic's PIONEERING Path Forward

The final frontier has never felt so close, if only because 2019 will see the first truly soar. Thanks to the daring adventures of Virgin Galactic, the singular space plane, VSS Unity, is about to end its maiden voyage. How and why – and where will it go from here?

The Final Voyage of the VSS Unity

On a bittersweet day of celebration, the VSS Unity flew one last time, carrying four passengers to space. It was Virgin Galactic’s first fully commercial flight, and the final flight for their first spaceplane ‘Unity’. Once the Unity’s voyages cease, we’ll both reflect on this pioneering vehicle and look towards new Laura Stoecker/Virgin Galactic solutions to life beyond our atmosphere.

The Delta Vision: A Bold Leap into the FUTURE

The Blueprint for Advancement

The end of Unity’s flights is the beginning of a roadmap for the future. At the heart of Virgin Galactic’s vision for the future is the so-called ‘Delta class’ of spaceships. It is the first major step towards taking space tourism up a notch.

Engineering the FUTURE

Then VSS Unity entirely morphed into the Delta class In other words, Virgin Galactic still has its eye on the future. As Branson put it: ‘We have learnt so much from these voyages on Unity that will allow us to continue radically advancing our technical capability for years to come. We are in the process of designing and building two entirely new Delta-class spaceships, which we hope to make access to space – a place of boundless possibility – even more inclusive and begin flight by 2026.’

Advancing the Limits of Space Tourism

Virgin Galactic, however, is not content just to build new spacecraft: it wants to boost the operational capabilities of its endeavours too. It has big ambitions for improving the capabilities of its old fighter-bomber carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, which will eventually support the violent stresses of carrying the Delta ships at a pace of flight that up to now has not been seen in the history of private spaceflight.

Striving for Profitability Through ADVANCEMENT

For Virgin Galastic, however, that is not enough. Advancement is a step towards sustainability and profitability that must be taken. In a document describing its strategy for upping passenger capacity and flight frequency, Virgin Galactic explains how it intends to reach lucrative levels of growth.

Challenges on the HORIZON

However, the road to progress is far from smooth. From the tight deadlines for development of the Delta ships to the frenetic flight schedule of Eve, and the need to balance safety and consumer demand, Virgin Galactic’s future might be exciting, but it’s also tough.

About ADVANCE

But in the context of Virgin Galactic’s aspirations, advance isn’t merely a target; it’s a culture, a driving force towards the future – the unstoppable march towards technological innovation, the bold dream of space tourism, and the vision of a spaceflight industry that can be sustained commercially. The Virgin Galactic story is only the next step in a long history of humankind’s insatiable urge to explore, and to seek a frontier to stretch beyond.

As we reach a new space age, Virgin Galactic’s progress is an inspiring reminder of human invention and purist exploration. We continue to look up. Virgin Galactic is mapping the future, for themselves and for us – for the 10,000 astronauts who have applied to take their first ride to space.