Virgin Galactic unveils new ‘Imagine’ ship for space tourism
The Peninsula
Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. unveiled its newest spacecraft, VSS Imagine, the first vehicle produced under a new assembly system that’s critical to the company’s goal of offering daily tourism flights to space.
The Imagine "demonstrates progress toward efficient design and production,” the company said in a statement Tuesday. The new manufacturing process will reduce maintenance and enable a quicker flight tempo as the company seeks to "scale the business for the long-term.” The spacecraft will soon begin ground testing, with glide tests planned this summer at Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport America facility in New Mexico. Work on a third vehicle, VSS Inspire, was slowed by the pandemic but will be finished next year, when it will begin flight tests, Chief Executive Officer Michael Colglazier said in an interview.More Related News