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Virgin Galactic unveils Apeiron, delays first Delta flight to 2027
The Verge reports Virgin Galactic named its first Delta-class spaceship Apeiron after a public vote and now expects the first commercial flight in early Q2 2027, later than a prior February 2027 target.
- New headline Was: “Here’s Virgin Galactic’s new Apeiron spaceship”
- Our desk filed its story
Virgin Galactic has unveiled Apeiron, the first of its new Delta-class spaceships, and pushed the first commercial flight of that lead vehicle to early in the second quarter of 2027, The Verge reported Wednesday1.
The company said the name Apeiron was chosen by popular vote in a public poll1. A second Delta-class ship is expected to begin commercial operations in late Q2 or early Q3 2027, according to a company timeline quoted in the report1.
Virgin Galactic said the updated schedule reflects extra time to finish avionics software integration and validation1. The Verge said the firm had already delayed its next commercial spaceflight from late 2026 to February 20271.
It has been more than two years since the company’s last commercial flight, in June 2024, when it retired VSS Unity, the report said1. Apeiron was scheduled to leave Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Factory in Mesa, Arizona, on Wednesday on a captive-carry flight with the Eve launch vehicle, bound for Spaceport America in New Mexico1.
At Spaceport America, the company said its engineering team plans to complete avionics software validation before beginning flight tests1. Independent confirmation of the new dates beyond the company announcement was not in the Verge account1.
