Virgin Galactic to build spaceship manufacturing facility in Arizona

Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc., an aerospace and space travel company, has signed a long-term lease for a new final assembly manufacturing facility for its next-generation Delta class spaceships. Located in Mesa, Ariz., the facility will be capable of producing up to six spaceships per year and will bring hundreds of highly skilled aerospace engineering and manufacturing jobs to the area.

The Delta class spaceship is the company’s production vehicle that is designed to fly weekly, supporting the target of 400 flights per year from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The first of these ships is expected to commence revenue-generating payload flights in late 2025, progressing to private astronaut flights in 2026.

The facility is expected to be fully operational by late 2023.