Virgin Galactic (NYSE: SPCE), the world’s first commercial spaceline, today flew Apeiron, the lead Spaceship in its next-generation fleet, to Spaceport America in New Mexico, its permanent home and base of operations.
Earlier today, the Spaceship was named and revealed in its completed livery for the first time at Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Factory in Mesa, Arizona. Spaceship Apeiron then departed Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport at 10:29 a.m. MST, mated to Eve, the company’s launch vehicle, and landed at Spaceport America at 12:59 p.m. MDT. Pilot in Command Michael Masucci and Pilot Dan Alix flew Eve, with Flight Test Engineer Tori Crichton on board.
Apeiron, ancient Greek for “boundless,” was chosen by public vote from a shortlist developed by Virgin Galactic teammates and members of its astronaut community, with people from more than 80 countries taking part.
“This morning, we gave Apeiron a name. This afternoon, Apeiron came home,” said Michael Colglazier, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Galactic. “Seeing the ship fly beneath Eve to Spaceport America was a moment years in the making. To our team and our astronaut community: your Spaceship has arrived.”
With Apeiron now at Spaceport America, Virgin Galactic’s engineering team plans to complete avionics software integration and validation while conducting flight test preparations. Upon successful completion of the flight test program, Virgin Galactic plans to begin flying customers aboard Spaceship Apeiron, with commercial spaceflights expected to begin in early Q2 2027.
Apeiron is Virgin Galactic’s lead next-generation Spaceship, produced in partnership with major aerospace suppliers. Designed to fly twice per week with a vehicle lifetime of more than 500 missions, each Spaceship in the next-generation fleet is built to support the economics of a scaled commercial operation, with increased flight cadence and a cost profile unprecedented in the industry.
Production of the fleet is already moving forward. At the Spaceship Factory, assembly of the static test article and the second Spaceship is underway, and teams are preparing the rocket motor assembly line. The second Spaceship is expected to begin commercial operations in late Q2/early Q3 2027.
About Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of human possibility. Through its spaceflight expeditions, the company offers people a profound new perspective on our planet and their own potential, while enabling scientific discovery and supporting strategic government missions. Virgin Galactic combines world-class aerospace engineering with thoughtfully designed astronaut experiences and a scalable spaceline operating model. Its reusable, air-launched Spaceships are designed to make spaceflight safe, repeatable, operationally efficient, and increasingly accessible, advancing a long-term vision of opening space to millions for extraordinary purposes. Learn more at www.virgingalactic.com.