‘Galactic 07’ Mission Launch Window Opens June 8
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) announced the 'Galactic 07' mission launch window for June 8, 2024, marking its 12th spaceflight. The flight will focus on suborbital research with experiments from Axiom Space, Purdue University, and UC Berkeley, showcasing Virgin Galactic's role in microgravity research. The mission will be VSS Unity's final commercial flight, leading the company to focus on next-generation spaceships for commercial service by 2026.
- Virgin Galactic showcasing its expertise in microgravity research with 'Galactic 07' mission
- Partnerships with Axiom Space, Purdue University, and UC Berkeley enhancing research capabilities
- Virgin Galactic's commitment to innovation and exploration in suborbital space
- Selection by NASA as a contracted flight provider for the next five years, showcasing trust in the company's capabilities
- Detachment of an alignment pin from VMS Eve during the 'Galactic 06' mission, leading to safety concerns
- Transition towards next-generation Delta spaceships may pose financial challenges in the short term
Flight Will Mark Virgin Galactic’s Seventh Commercial Mission, Seventh Research Mission
Multiple Research Experiments to Include Axiom Space and University Payloads
Virgin Galactic’s spaceship will again be converted into a suborbital science lab, with VSS Unity carrying an Axiom Space affiliated researcher astronaut who will conduct multiple human-tended experiments. In addition, Purdue University and UC Berkeley will have autonomous payloads on board, supported by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. This mission showcases Virgin Galactic’s ability to provide a flexible microgravity research platform, benefiting further space exploration initiatives as well as innovations on Earth.
“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in suborbital space, and we look forward to continuing to expand our role in suborbital research going forward,” said Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic. “‘Galactic 07’ will also mark and celebrate VSS Unity's final commercial flight – an exciting and historic turning point for the business as we dedicate our resources fully to the production of our next-generation Delta spaceships, on track for commercial service in 2026.”
“Axiom Space’s commitment to enabling access to space and providing opportunities for scientific discovery beyond Earth aligns closely with Virgin Galactic’s mission,” said Tejpaul Bhatia, Chief Revenue Officer of Axiom Space. “We are very excited about this upcoming Galactic 07 flight; stay tuned for more on our groundbreaking research and astronaut participant as we get closer to June 8th.”
The hybrid research and private astronaut crew of ‘Galactic 07’ will include:
- Astronaut 027 – Researcher Astronaut, Axiom Space Affiliated Astronaut
-
Astronaut 028 – Private Astronaut,
California, USA -
Astronaut 029 – Private Astronaut,
New York, USA -
Astronaut 030 – Private Astronaut,
Italy
The Virgin Galactic crew will include:
- VSS Unity Commander Nicola Pecile and pilot Jameel Janjua
- VMS Eve Commander Andy Edgell and pilot C.J. Sturckow
The ‘Galactic 07’ autonomous rack-mounted research payloads will include a Purdue University experiment designed to study propellant slosh in fuel tanks of maneuvering spacecraft, as well as a UC Berkeley payload testing a new type of 3D printing. Virgin Galactic has flown payloads for NASA’s Flight Opportunities program since the Company’s first spaceflight in 2018 and was recently selected by NASA as a contracted flight provider for the next five years.
Today’s announcement follows notification from the FAA that Virgin Galactic’s investigation into the cause of the detachment of an alignment pin from VMS Eve following the release of VSS Unity during the ‘Galactic 06’ mission on January 26th, 2024 is approved. The FAA has accepted Virgin Galactic's final investigation report, as well as the corrective actions that have been made to enhance the retention mechanism of the pin and the addition of a secondary retention mechanism.
Stay tuned to Virgin Galactic’s social channels for further updates.
About Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company, pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers with its advanced air and space vehicles. Scale and profitability are driven by next generation vehicles designed to be capable of bringing humans to space at an unprecedented frequency with an industry-leading cost structure. You can find more information at https://www.virgingalactic.com/.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding our spaceflight systems, expected flight schedule and window, expected astronauts and inflight activities and experiments, our role in future space research, commencement of commercial service of our Delta fleet and timing thereof, the expectation that ‘Galactic 07’ is VSS Unity’s final flight, and our status as a contracted flight provider for NASA are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward looking statements, including but not limited to any delay in future commercial flights of our spaceflight fleet, our ability to successfully develop and test our Delta fleet, and the time and costs associated with doing so, and the factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section of our website at www.virgingalactic.com, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.
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news@virgingalactic.com
575.800.4422
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Source: Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc.
