Virgin Galactic has pushed back the start of commercial flights with its new Delta-class spaceships to early in the second quarter of 2027. As it completes avionics software integration and validation, the company is preparing to transfer the first vehicle, designated D1, from its manufacturing facility in Arizona to its Spaceport America operating base in New Mexico.

The revised schedule marks a further delay to the programme. In August, Virgin Galactic was targeting its first commercial flight for February 2027, having already abandoned plans to begin operations in late 2026. The second spaceship was then expected to enter service in March 2027, but that milestone is now anticipated in late Q2 or early Q3 of the same year.

D1’s transfer is scheduled for 28 October, with the spaceship remaining attached beneath its carrier aircraft, Eve, throughout the flight. Its arrival at Spaceport America will mark the transition from assembly to flight test preparations, subject to suitable weather and technical readiness.

According to Aviation Week, initial fit checks between D1 and the carrier aircraft were successfully completed in September. Eve arrived in Arizona from New Mexico on 25 October to prepare for the transfer. During spaceflight missions, the four-engine aircraft carries the spaceship to approximately 45,000 feet, or 13,700 metres, before releasing it to continue its flight.

Following the first spaceship’s departure, work at the Mesa facility will focus partly on completing the second vehicle and preparing the rocket motor assembly line. The company says structural testing of the feather assembly has also been successfully completed.

Meanwhile, more than 100 future passengers are beginning their preparations, with additional groups expected to follow progressively. Virgin Galactic also plans to reveal the first spaceship’s name on 28 October, following a public vote involving participants from more than 80 countries. Further details of the flight test programme are expected in November, alongside the company’s third-quarter financial results.