Virgin Galactic Partners with Italy’s Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile to Conduct Spaceport Feasibility Study
Study to Evaluate Technical and Regulatory Feasibility of Operating from Italy’s Grottaglie Spaceport
The study will evaluate the necessary technical requirements for suborbital spaceflight operations at Grottaglie Spaceport, the surrounding area’s ability to support private and research suborbital spaceflight customers, and the compatibility of Italy’s suborbital regulations with those in
Phase one of the study, anticipated to be completed in 2025, will examine Grottaglie’s airspace compatibility with Virgin Galactic’s requirements and unique flight profile. This will include examining any regulatory requirements, studying the facilities infrastructure and ensuring supply chain capability to support repeated spaceflights. Presuming these criteria are satisfied, phase two of the examination would expand to consider regional workforce requirements as well as the potential economic stimulation to
The announcement comes 18 months after members of the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of
“Development of world-class spaceports in premier locations is essential to our goal of expanding human-first space travel around the world, and we are honored to partner with the Italian government as we look to bring Virgin Galactic’s spaceline operations to
“Today, our partnership takes a significant step forward. Together, we will conduct a feasibility study to determine the conditions for suborbital operations from the Grottaglie Spaceport under ENAC’s regulations inspired by the
Grottaglie Airport is managed by Aeroporti di Puglia and was designated a commercial spaceport by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in 2018, making it the first horizontal spaceport in
“We are excited to work with Virgin Galactic and demonstrate how Grottaglie Spaceport can provide infrastructure, high level skills and specialized services necessary for suborbital flights,” said Antonio Maria Vasile, President of Aeroporti diPuglia, which manages the site. “Grottaglie Spaceport has become a European hub for the development of new aerospace technologies and a catalyst for pioneering projects in the new space economy.”
Added Mr. Vito Bavaro of the Economic Development Department of Puglia Region, “Extending commercial space travel to our region aligns closely with the investments we are already making in research and innovation, development of advanced skills, and policies to strengthen the regional aerospace ecosystem. We believe Virgin Galactic is an ideal partner in our mission to provide a regional base for suborbital flights in the Mediterranean basin.”
About Virgin Galactic Holdings
Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company, pioneering human-first spaceflight for private individuals, researchers, and governments with its advanced spaceships and high-altitude carrier aircraft. Scale and profitability are driven by next generation vehicles capable of bringing humans to space at an unprecedented frequency with an industry-leading cost structure. You can find more information at www.virgingalactic.com
About Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile
The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) serves as the sole authority for technical regulation, certification, supervision, and control in the civil aviation sector, including airports, in
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 partnership with ENAC, including the planned study to evaluate the technical and regulatory feasibility of operating from Italy’s Grottaglie Spaceport, the potential to conduct our spaceflight operations from Grottaglie Spaceport, and our plans to expand our commercial operations globally, 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 the results of the planned feasibility study with ENAC, our ability to expand our operations internationally, any delay in future commercial flights of our spaceflight fleet, our ability to successfully develop and test our next generation vehicles, and the time and costs associated with doing so, our expected capital requirements and the availability of additional financing, and the other factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 as well our subsequently filed reports on Form 10-Q and 8-K, 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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Source: Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc.