US — Ars Technica
The last, best hope for space tourism just rolled onto a runway in Arizona
Space1 min read
Virgin Galactic has given its first next-generation space plane a name, Apeiron. The company hopes this ship will help bring back paid space trips that have stopped in the United States.
A new ship gets a name
Virgin Galactic named the first of its new Delta-class spacecraft Apeiron. The name was picked by a public vote. The ship is built for short trips to the edge of space, called suborbital flights. It has been about 10 months since any space tourism flight took off from the United States.
How we got here
A few years ago, private space tourism looked bright. Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic flew paying customers with no space training. SpaceX's Crew Dragon also carried private citizens to orbit. Since then, Blue Origin paused its New Shepard flights after its last mission in January. Virgin Galactic flew its last mission on its older VSS Unity ship in June 2024. SpaceX has also finished its private Dragon missions, except for a few that will likely carry at least one government astronaut.
Key facts
- Virgin Galactic's last flight on VSS Unity was in June 2024.
- Blue Origin's New Shepard flew its last mission in January, about 10 months ago.
- Virgin Galactic planned to have two Delta-class ships in service by 2026.
- As of 2026, no Delta-class ship is in service yet.
Why it matters
Space tourism in the United States has been stopped for almost a year. Apeiron is a sign that Virgin Galactic is getting closer to flying again. But the company is already behind its goal of 2026. Its success will show whether private space trips can become a regular business.
What to watch
- When Apeiron makes its first test and passenger flights.
- Whether Virgin Galactic gets the second Delta-class ship into service.
- Whether Blue Origin restarts New Shepard flights.
- Whether SpaceX's Starship can someday carry people from Earth.
Glossary
- Virgin Galactic
- A company that builds small spaceplanes to fly paying passengers on short trips to the edge of space.
- Blue Origin
- A space company that flies its New Shepard rocket with passengers and is building the New Glenn rocket.
- SpaceX
- A company that builds rockets and the Crew Dragon spacecraft that carries astronauts.
- Delta-class
- Virgin Galactic's second-generation type of suborbital spaceship.
- Starship
- SpaceX's very large rocket and spacecraft, designed to carry people and cargo.