Richard Branson’s space tourism dream is far from grounded. Virgin Galactic just confirmed plans with Bloomberg to launch its newest six-seater spacecraft in 2026, marking a major step forward since its last trip beyond Earth’s atmosphere in June 2024.
The project revolves around the Delta spacecraft, a revamped ride designed to get more people into space with faster turnaround times. Slated for prep starting this March, Delta will carry six passengers—two more than its predecessor—and a ticket will set you back a cool $600,000 USD. Despite the hefty price tag, the company already has a waitlist of 700 eager space tourists.
Virgin Galactic made history in June 2023 with its first commercial spaceflight, launching the VSS Unity from New Mexico and completing a 90-minute suborbital journey. Since then, they’ve racked up 12 successful spaceflights. But before Delta starts shuttling civilians, it’s set to handle cargo missions first.
Branson remains locked in the billionaire space race, going toe-to-toe with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Blue Origin just sent the New Shepard on a fresh mission, while SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew made history with the first-ever civilian spacewalk. As the battle for the stars heats up, Virgin Galactic is making sure it’s not left in the dust.