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Virgin Galactic delays first Delta commercial flight to February 2027

By The Likely · Updated Sep 28, 5:24 PM ET · Drawn from 2 sources · Written by AI, checked against sources

On August 12, 2026, Virgin Galactic moved the first Delta spaceship's expected commercial service debut to February 2027. The shift allows more time to complete avionics and systems installations before flight testing begins in October 2026.

Why it mattersThe delay prolongs a customer-carrying commercial flight pause that began after VSS Unity's final revenue flight in June 2024.

When will Virgin Galactic launch its next commercial Delta-class SpaceShip? Before July 2027 leadsVery likely80%

How we got here

  1. Virgin Galactic stated its first new spaceship remained on track for commercial operations and projected service for its second ship. Virgingalactic
  2. Virgin Galactic announced delayed commercial service expectations and flight testing plans for its first and second Delta spaceships. Virgingalactic
  3. Colglazier explained that the schedule change resulted from installation work taking longer across hundreds of tasks rather than one issue. Space

What's likely next

  1. October 2026: Virgin Galactic expected to begin the Delta 1 flight-test phase with a captive-carry flight.

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