Virgin Galactic named its first Delta-class suborbital spaceship Apeiron and said the vehicle would be moved Wednesday from its factory in Mesa, Arizona, to Spaceport America in New Mexico for remaining tests, Ars Technica reported¹.

The name, drawn from an ancient Greek idea of the boundless, was chosen in a public vote, Ars said, citing a company news release¹. Chief executive Michael Colglazier said the lead ship would carry a name chosen by people who share excitement for what comes next, according to that account¹.

Apeiron will not fly free soon, Ars reported¹. After being carried to New Mexico by the mothership VMS Eve, engineers there are to finish avionics and flight software, then run ground tests, captive-carry flights, a drop test and a powered flight above 80 km¹.

The company now expects Apeiron's first commercial spaceflight early in the second quarter of 2027, Ars said, citing Virgin Galactic¹. At Unity's last flight, Virgin said it planned two Delta-class ships in service by 2026; none are in service, according to the report¹.

Ars said it has been 10 months since a U.S. space tourism mission¹. It said Blue Origin last flew New Shepard in January and later paused the program, SpaceX's last free-flyer Dragon tourist mission was Fram2 in April 2025, and Virgin last flew Unity in June 2024¹.

Ars noted investor skepticism about whether the vehicles can fly often enough to carry hundreds of people a year, and said Virgin Galactic stock had recently traded near $2.50 a share after reaching $1,118 in 2021¹. The article's characterization of the ship as space tourism's last remaining near-term hope is the outlet's framing, not an independent finding¹.

Sources

1. Ars TechnicaThe last, best hope for space tourism just rolled onto a runway in Arizona3:25 PM

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