History of Virgin Galactic in Timeline
Virgin Galactic, founded by Richard Branson, is a British-American spaceflight company aiming to provide suborbital spaceflights for space tourists. The company's spacecraft, like VSS Unity, are air-launched from White Knight Two. While Branson initially targeted a 2010 maiden spaceflight, delays, including the 2014 VSS Enterprise crash, pushed the timeline back. The company successfully achieved its first spaceflight in 2018. Virgin Group still retains a significant stake (11.9%) in the company.
May 20, 2003: Start of SpaceShipOne flights
On May 20, 2003, SpaceShipOne flights began at the Mojave Airport Civilian Flight Test Center, starting with flight 01.
December 2003: SpaceShipOne achieves supersonic flight
On 17 December 2003, SpaceShipOne made its first rocket-powered flight and became the first privately built craft to achieve supersonic flight.
May 2004: Ansari X Prize Renamed
On 6 May 2004, the "X Prize" was renamed the "Ansari X Prize" following a multimillion-dollar donation from entrepreneurs Anousheh Ansari and Amir Ansari.
October 2004: Ansari X Prize Won
On 4 October 2004, the Ansari X Prize was won by the Tier One project designed by Burt Rutan and financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, using the experimental spaceplane SpaceShipOne.
2004: SpaceShipOne high-altitude flights
In 2004, SpaceShipOne became the world's first private spaceship with a series of high-altitude flights.
2004: Virgin Galactic Founded
In 2004, Virgin Galactic was founded by Richard Branson.
2005: The Spaceship Company (TSC) Founded
In 2005, The Spaceship Company (TSC) was founded by Richard Branson through Virgin Group and Burt Rutan through Scaled Composites to build commercial spaceships and launch aircraft for space travel.
February 2007: Memorandum of understanding with NASA
In February 2007, Virgin announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding with NASA to explore the potential for collaboration.
July 2007: Scaled Composites Explosion
In July 2007, three Scaled Composites employees were killed and three critically injured at the Mojave spaceport while testing components of the rocket motor for SpaceShipTwo.
July 2007: Accident at Mojave test stand
On 26 July 2007, an accident at Mojave killed three Scaled Composites employees during a nitrous oxide tank test.
July 2008: Branson Predicts Maiden Voyage
In July 2008, Richard Branson predicted the maiden space voyage would take place within 18 months.
2008: Virgin Galactic begins working on LauncherOne
By late 2008, Virgin Galactic had begun working on LauncherOne, an orbital launch vehicle.
2008: TSC Begins Production
In 2008, The Spaceship Company began production of follow-on vehicles after Scaled Composites developed and built initial prototypes.
2008: Test launches to take place from Mojave Spaceport
In 2008, it was announced that test launches for Virgin Galactic's fleet of White Knight Two mother ships and SpaceShipTwo tourist suborbital spacecraft would take place from the Mojave Spaceport.
October 2009: Virgin Galactic Announces Initial Flights
In October 2009, Virgin Galactic announced that initial flights would take place from Spaceport America "within two years."
December 2009: Unveiling of the rocket plane
On 7 December 2009, Richard Branson unveiled the rocket plane, announcing plans for fare-paying passenger flights after testing.
December 2009: SpaceShipTwo Unveiled
On 7 December 2009, SpaceShipTwo was unveiled at the Mojave Spaceport and Branson stated flights would begin "in 2011."
2009: LauncherOne technical specifications defined
In late 2009, the technical specifications for LauncherOne were defined in some detail, envisioning an expendable, two-stage, liquid-fueled rocket air-launched from a White Knight Two.
March 2010: White Knight Two and SpaceShipTwo Fly Together
In March 2010, White Knight Two's first SpaceShipTwo captive flights took place.
October 2010: Spaceport America runway opens, SpaceShipTwo shipped to site
In October 2010, the 3,000 m runway at Spaceport America was opened, with SpaceShipTwo "VSS Enterprise" shipped to the site carried underneath the fuselage of Virgin Galactic's mothership Eve.
2010: Aabar Investments Acquires Stake
In 2010, Aabar Investments group acquired a 31.8% stake in Virgin Galactic for US$280 million.
2010: Satellite Business Plans
In 2010, Virgin Galactic intended to market SpaceShipTwo for suborbital space science missions and market White Knight Two for "small satellite" launch services.
April 2011: Further Delays Announced
In April 2011, Branson announced further delays, saying he hoped to be in space within 18 months.
July 2011: Aabar Invests Further
In July 2011, Aabar invested a further US$110 million to develop a program to launch small satellites into low Earth orbit, raising their equity share to 37.8%.
September 2011: Glide Tests Complete
By September 2011, SpaceShipTwo had completed an additional 16 glide tests.
2011: David Mackay named chief pilot
In 2011, David Mackay was named chief pilot and chief test-pilot for Virgin Galactic.
2011: Small contract with NASA
In 2011, the memorandum of understanding between Virgin Galactic and NASA produced a relatively small contract of up to $4.5 million for research flights.
February 2012: SpaceShipTwo Completes Test Flights
By February 2012, SpaceShipTwo had completed 15 test flights attached to White Knight Two.
July 2012: LauncherOne publicly announced
In July 2012, LauncherOne was publicly announced and intended to launch "smallsat" payloads of 200 kilograms into Earth orbit.
2012: Virgin Galactic Acquires TSC
In 2012, Virgin Galactic acquired the remaining 30% of The Spaceship Company after Northrop Grumman acquired Scaled Composites.
April 2013: Rocket-Powered Test Flight
On 29 April 2013, a rocket-powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo took place, with an engine burn of 16 seconds duration, achieving a speed of Mach 1.2.
May 2013: Ticket price raised to $250,000
In May 2013, the ticket price for a Virgin Galactic flight was raised to $250,000 per person.
May 2013: Branson Announces First Public Flight
On 14 May 2013, Richard Branson stated he would be aboard the first public flight of SpaceShipTwo, scheduled for 25 December 2013.
June 2013: Steve Isakowitz appointed president
In June 2013, Steve Isakowitz was appointed as Virgin Galactic's president.
August 2013: 640 customers signed up for a flight
By August 2013, 640 customers had signed up for a Virgin Galactic flight.
December 2013: First public flight rescheduled
In May 2013, Richard Branson stated he would be aboard the first public flight of SpaceShipTwo, which had again been rescheduled, this time to 25 December 2013.
January 2014: Third Rocket-Powered Test Flight
On 10 January 2014, the third rocket-powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo tested the Reaction Control System (RCS) and thermal protection coating.
February 2014: Cracks Discovered in WhiteKnightTwo
In February 2014, cracks in WhiteKnightTwo, where the spars connect with the fuselage, were discovered during an inspection.
May 2014: Abandoned nitrous-oxide rubber motor
On 23 May 2014, Virgin Galactic announced that they had abandoned the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) nitrous-oxide-rubber motor for SpaceShipTwo.
June 2014: Talks with Google
In June 2014, Virgin announced that they were in talks with Google about the injection of capital to fund both development and operations.
July 2014: Eve Branson Intends to Go To Space
In July 2014, Eve Branson expressed her intention of going to space, speculating it would be by the end of the year.
July 2014: Abandoned nitrous-oxide rubber motor
On 24 July 2014, SNC confirmed that they had also abandoned the Sierra Nevada Corporation nitrous-oxide-rubber motor for Dreamchaser space shuttle.
September 2014: Branson Describes Commercial Flight Date
In September 2014, Richard Branson described the intended date for the first commercial flight as February or March 2015.
October 2014: Criticism of Virgin Galactic
In October 2014, Virgin Galactic faced backlash for delays and unfulfilled promises, with critics questioning the feasibility of their timeline.
October 2014: Doubts About Launch Dates
In October 2014, Virgin Galactic's chief executive, George T. Whitesides, questioned the credibility of earlier promises of launch dates.
October 2014: SpaceShipTwo Test Flight Accident
In October 2014, Virgin Galactic's partner Scaled Composites conducted a powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo, during which one of the two Scaled Composites pilots died in an accident.
October 2014: VSS Enterprise Crash
In October 2014, the crash of VSS Enterprise caused delays to Virgin Galactic's plans for a maiden spaceflight, which Branson had originally hoped to see by 2010.
November 2014: Criticism for distancing from disaster
In November 2014, Branson and Virgin Galactic faced criticism for distancing the company from the SpaceShipTwo crash by referring to the test pilots as Scaled Composites employees.
November 2014: NTSB Investigation
On 2 November 2014, the NTSB stated investigators determined SpaceShipTwo's tail system was supposed to have been released for deployment as the craft was traveling about 1.4 times the speed of sound, but the tail section began pivoting when the vehicle was flying at Mach 1.
November 2014: Report of tension and persistent hurdles
The Wall Street Journal reported in November 2014 that there has been "tension between Mr. Branson's upbeat projections and the persistent hurdles that challenged the company's hundreds of technical experts."
2014: Satellite Flights Not Materialized
By 2014, flights for the "small satellite" launch services had not materialized.
2014: Scaled Composites crash
In 2014, the NTSB cited factors such as inadequate design safeguards and poor pilot training as important factors in the SpaceShipTwo crash.
2014: First powered test flight since 2014
On 5 April 2018, VSS Unity performed a powered test flight, the first since 2014.
January 2015: Investment in OneWeb satellite constellation
In January 2015, Virgin Group announced an investment into the OneWeb satellite constellation for world internet access.
March 2015: LauncherOne research center established
In March 2015, Virgin Galactic established a 150,000-square-foot research, development, and manufacturing center for LauncherOne at the Long Beach Airport and reported they were on schedule to begin test flights of LauncherOne with its Newton 3 engine by the end of 2016.
March 2015: Commercial Flight Delayed
In September 2014, Richard Branson described the intended date for the first commercial flight as February or March 2015.
June 2015: Contract signed with OneWeb Ltd. for satellite launches
On 25 June 2015, Virgin Galactic signed a contract with OneWeb Ltd. for 39 satellite launches for its satellite constellation with an option for an additional 100 launches.
July 2015: NTSB cites factors in 2014 crash
On 28 July 2015, the NTSB cited inadequate design safeguards, poor pilot training, lack of rigorous FAA oversight and a potentially anxious co-pilot without recent flight experience as important factors in the 2014 SpaceShipTwo crash.
2015: New Shepard first unmanned flight above Karman line
Blue Origin's New Shepard first flew unmanned above the Karman line and landed in 2015.
2015: Smallsat launch business expansion
In 2015, Virgin Galactic began to focus on the smallsat launch business as the human spaceflight program experienced delays.
February 2016: Rollout of VSS Unity
On 19 February 2016, the replacement SpaceShipTwo, named VSS Unity, was rolled out.
August 2016: Test flights set to begin
In August 2016, test flights for VSS Unity were set to begin after ground tests were completed.
September 2016: Captive carry flights begin
Since September 2016, captive carry flights had taken place with VSS Unity.
October 2016: Mike Moses replaces Steve Isakowitz as president
In October 2016, Mike Moses replaced Steve Isakowitz as president of Virgin Galactic.
December 2016: First glide test of VSS Unity
In December 2016, VSS Unity completed its first flight, a successful glide test lasting ten minutes.
2016: New Shepard reflown unmanned above the Karman line
In 2016, Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle was reflown unmanned to above the Karman line again.
2016: Collaboration with Boom Technology for supersonic jetliner
In 2016, TSC, Virgin Galactic and the Virgin Group began a collaboration with Boom Technology to develop a supersonic trans-oceanic passenger jetliner and carried out a mission concept review of a Mach 3 vehicle design.
2016: Scheduled test flights of LauncherOne with Newton 3 engine
Virgin Galactic reported in March 2015 that they were on schedule to begin test flights of LauncherOne with its Newton 3 engine by the end of 2016.
March 2017: LauncherOne team spun off into Virgin Orbit
In March 2017, Virgin Galactic spun off its 200-member LauncherOne team into a new company called Virgin Orbit.
2017: LauncherOne spun off into Virgin Orbit
In 2017, the LauncherOne business was spun off into Virgin Orbit.
2017: Virgin Orbit spin-off
In 2017, the early work on the satellite launch development of LauncherOne was hived off to a separate company, Virgin Orbit.
2017: Spin-off of Virgin Orbit
In 2017, the smallsat launch business was spun off into a new company called Virgin Orbit.
2017: XCOR Aerospace closed its doors
XCOR Aerospace closed its doors in 2017, after working on rocket-powered aircraft and developing the Lynx suborbital vehicle for over a decade.
January 2018: Seven glide tests completed
By January 2018, seven glide tests of VSS Unity had been completed.
April 2018: First powered test flight since 2014
On 5 April 2018, VSS Unity performed a powered test flight, the first since 2014.
July 2018: Unity surpasses predecessor's testing program
By July 2018, VSS Unity had gone considerably higher and faster in its testing program than its predecessor.
December 2018: VSS Unity Achieves First Suborbital Space Flight
On 13 December 2018, VSS Unity VP-03 achieved the project's first suborbital space flight, reaching an altitude of 82.7 kilometers and officially entering outer space by U.S. standards.
December 2018: VSS Unity reaches 82.7 km
On 13 December 2018, VSS Unity reached a height of 82.7 km above the Earth at speeds close to three times the speed of sound, earning commercial astronaut wings for the two pilots.
2018: VSS Unity Maiden Spaceflight
In 2018, Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spaceship achieved its maiden spaceflight.
January 2019: Partnership with Under Armour announced
On 24 January 2019, Virgin Galactic announced a partnership with Under Armour for the fabrication of space suits for passengers and pilots of SpaceShipTwo.
February 2019: VSS Unity VF-01 Carries Passenger
In February 2019, VSS Unity VF-01 carried three people, including a passenger, reaching 89.9 kilometers.
February 2019: First crew member in passenger cabin
In February 2019, a VSS Unity flight carried a third crew member (1 in the passenger cabin) for the first time.
October 2019: Virgin Galactic Lists on NYSE
On 28 October 2019, Virgin Galactic listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol 'SPCE', becoming the first publicly traded space tourism company.
February 2020: Transfer to Spaceport America
In February 2020, Virgin Galactic transferred its operations to Spaceport America in New Mexico.
November 2020: Test flight postponed due to Covid-19
In November 2020, Virgin Galactic had to postpone a key test flight of its spacecraft due to a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in New Mexico.
December 2020: Engine ignition prevented
In December 2020, a computer connection issue prevented engine ignition during a Virgin Galactic test flight.
2020: Options for Boom Technology XB-1 expire
In 2020, Virgin Galactic's options for 10 units of the Boom Technology XB-1 "Baby Boom" Supersonic Demonstrator expired.
March 2021: Rollout of VSS Imagine
On 30 March 2021, the first Spaceship III, VSS Imagine, was rolled out, with ground testing planned before glide test flights in Summer 2021.
May 2021: Mothership Eve carries VSS Unity
On 22 May 2021, Mothership Eve was used to carry VSS Unity to a launch altitude of 44,000 feet.
May 2021: VSS Unity flies sixth powered test flight
On 22 May 2021, VSS Unity flew its sixth powered test flight, reaching an altitude of 89 km. This was the first ever human space flight from New Mexico.
July 2021: Maximum height reached
As of July 2021 the maximum height reached has been 89.9 km.
July 2021: Richard Branson Flies to Space
On 11 July 2021, Richard Branson and three employees flew on VSS Unity 22, marking the first time a spaceflight company founder traveled on his own ship into outer space.
July 2021: Virgin Galactic launches founder into space
On 11 July 2021, Virgin Galactic became the first spaceflight company to independently launch a founder of the company into space, flying Richard Branson above the 50-mile (80 km) mark on flight Unity 22.
July 2021: Fully crewed test flight with Richard Branson
On 11 July 2021, a fully crewed test flight took place with two pilots and four passengers, including Richard Branson. The flight briefly stepped outside reserved airspace, leading to an FAA grounding before flights resumed with procedural changes.
July 2021: Blue Origin's first crewed flight
On 20 July 2021, Blue Origin flew their first crewed flight and first paying customer, Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen. Also on the flight were Bezos himself, his younger brother, and aviation legend Wally Funk.
July 2021: Virgin Galactic reschedules flight to occur on July 11
Shortly after the announcement of competitor Blue Origin's plans to fly Amazon founder Jeff Bezos into space on 20 July 2021, the Virgin Galactic flight was rescheduled to occur on 11 July 2021.
August 2021: Virgin Galactic sets price per person at $450,000
In August 2021 the Virgin Galactic price was US$450,000 per person.
October 2021: Upgrade program delays commercial flights
On 14 October 2021, Virgin Galactic announced an upgrade program for Unity and Eve, delaying future commercial flights to mid-2022 due to material analysis.
Feb 2022: Suborbital spaceplane in final phases of returning to commercial service
Virgin Galactic said it was in the final phases of returning its suborbital spaceplane to commercial service in Feb 2022.
February 2022: Public Ticket Sales Open
In February 2022, Virgin Galactic announced that it was opening ticket sales to the public for $450,000 per reservation.
2022: Upgrade program delays commercial flights to mid 2022
In October 2021, Virgin Galactic announced an upgrade program for Unity and Eve, delaying future commercial flights to mid-2022 due to material analysis.
May 2023: Virgin Orbit Shutdown
In May 2023, the spin-off company Virgin Orbit was shut down.
June 2023: First Commercial Space Tourism Flight
In June 2023, Virgin Galactic launched its first commercial space tourism flight called Galactic 01.
June 2023: Virgin Galactic's first commercial flight takes place
On 29 June 2023, Virgin Galactic's first commercial flight took place with three outside passengers for the Italian Air Force and the Italian National Research Council.
2023: Boeing sues Virgin Galactic over unpaid bills
In 2023, Boeing ended work on a contract and filed suit against Virgin Galactic over unpaid bills.
2023: Virgin Orbit ceases operations
In 2023, Virgin Orbit ceased operations following bankruptcy.
2023: Virgin Orbit went bankrupt
Virgin Orbit went bankrupt in 2023 after a few space launches.
June 2024: Final Flight of Unity
In June 2024, Galactic 07 was the final flight of Unity as the company shifted focus to its Delta class vehicles and a higher launch cadence.
2024: Virgin Galactic ceases VSS Unity spaceplane flights
In mid-2024 Virgin Galactic ceased flights of its VSS Unity spaceplane to focus on developing its next-generation Delta-class spacecraft.
2025: Delta class spaceship ready for testing
In 2025, Virgin Galactic plans to have its third generation spaceship, the Delta class, ready for testing.
2025: Planned generation 2 motherships
Virgin Galactic plans to have generation 2 motherships ready for 2025, for the next-generation Delta-class spaceplanes.
2026: Delta class spaceship ready for commercial flight
Virgin Galactic plans to have its third generation spaceship, the Delta class, ready for commercial flight in 2026.
2026: Delta-class vehicles expected to commence commercial service
Virgin Galactic's Delta-class vehicles are expected to commence commercial service by 2026.
