Virgin Galactic

Lore & Background

Virgin Galactic was founded in 2004 by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, who had previously founded the Virgin Group and Virgin Atlantic airline. The company's spacecraft are air-launched from beneath a carrier airplane, White Knight Two. On 13 December 2018, VSS Unity made the project's first suborbital space flight, reaching 82.7 kilometers. In February 2019, the project carried three people, including a passenger, on VSS Unity VF-01, reaching 89.9 kilometers. On 11 July 2021, Branson and three employees rode on VSS Unity 22 as passengers, the first time a spaceflight-company founder traveled on his own ship into outer space.

Reader's Guide

Virgin Galactic's significance lies in pioneering commercial suborbital space tourism, becoming the first publicly traded space tourism company when it listed on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2019 under ticker 'SPCE'. The company raised $450 million through a SPAC merger and had a market value over $2.4 billion. It began selling tickets to the public in February 2022 for $450,000 apiece, with the first such flight, Galactic 01, in June 2023. By February 2025, a ticket was estimated to cost about $600,000, and in 2026 the company resumed reservations at $1,000 for a ticket price of $750,000. The company also spun off its LauncherOne rocket to Virgin Orbit in 2017, which shut down in 2023. Its legacy includes advancing private spaceflight and inspiring future commercial space ventures.

Did You Know?

• Virgin Galactic's suborbital spacecraft are air-launched from beneath a carrier airplane called White Knight Two.
• On 11 July 2021, Richard Branson became the first spaceflight-company founder to travel on his own ship into outer space.
• The company spun off its LauncherOne rocket to Virgin Orbit in 2017; Virgin Orbit shut down in 2023.
• In February 2022, Virgin Galactic began selling tickets to the public for $450,000 apiece.