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Assembly issues push Virgin Galactic's Delta class spaceship commercial launch to February 2027
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Virgin Galactic delayed the first commercial flight of its Delta class spaceship to February 2027 at the earliest due to numerous small installation tasks and component discrepancies.
The delay extends the company's operational pause for tourist flights, which began in 2024, pushing revenue generation into the next year. For engineers, the stated cause, hundreds of minor installation tasks and slight dimensional variances in components, highlights the integration challenges in transitioning to a new vehicle class.
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The first commercial flight of the Delta class spaceship is now scheduled for February 2027 at the earliest, moving from the originally planned fourth quarter of 2026.
The delay stems from hundreds of minor installation tasks and components that deviated by a few thousandths of an inch from specifications.
Ground tests for the vehicle are set to begin later this month, and a second spaceship is in production for flights in the second quarter of 2027.
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