Virgin Galactic has revealed its third generation spaceship, the beautiful VSS Imagine. VSS Imagine will follow be tested using glide flights this summer from its Spaceport in New Mexico.
Virgin Galactic’s next flight is expected to be one of the existing spaceship’s, VSS Unity, in May / June 2021.
The VSS imagine is in the III class of vehicles which are built to enable improved performance maintenance access and flight rate. This third generation of spaceship will set the benchmark for design and manufacture of future vehicles.
As VSS Imagine begins testing, development will continue on the VSS Inspire, the second SpaceShip III vehicle within the Virgin Galactic fleet. This is a major milestone in Virgin Galactic’s commitment to fly 400 flights per year, per spaceport.
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, said, “Virgin Galactic spaceships are built specifically to deliver a new, transforming perspective to the thousands of people who will soon be able to experience the wonder of space for themselves.
“As a SpaceShip III class of vehicle, Imagine is not just beautiful to look at, but represents Virgin Galactic’s growing fleet of spaceships.
“All great achievements, creations and changes start with an idea. Our hope is for all those who travel to space to return with fresh perspectives and new ideas that will bring positive change to our planet.’’