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Commercial spaceline Virgin Galactic has announced the naming and completed livery of its lead spaceship, Apeiron, ahead of commercial spaceflights expected to begin in early Q2 2027.
Apeiron was named and revealed in its completed livery for the first time at Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Factory in Mesa, Arizona, before flying to Spaceport America in New Mexico for future flight test preparations.
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The spaceship name was chosen by a public vote that drew thousands of responses from around the world across 83 countries and six continents, according to Michael Colglazier, chief executive officer of Virgin Galactic.
“Apeiron, the Boundless, captures the ambition of human spaceflight and the possibilities it opens for humanity,” he said.
“The extraordinary response to the public vote made choosing this name even more meaningful.
“We’re proud that the lead ship in Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship fleet will carry a name chosen by the people who share our excitement for what comes next.”
Virgin Galactic’s engineering team plans to complete avionics software validation before beginning flight tests.
Upon successful completion of the flight test program, Virgin Galactic plans to begin flying customers aboard Spaceship Apeiron, with commercial spaceflights expected to begin in early Q2 2027.
“Seeing the ship fly beneath Eve to Spaceport America was a moment years in the making. To our team and our astronaut community: your spaceship has arrived,” Colglazier said.
Designed to fly twice per week with a vehicle lifetime of more than 500 missions, each spaceship in the fleet is built to support the economics of a scaled commercial operation, with increased flight cadence and a cost profile unprecedented in the industry.
At the Spaceship Factory, assembly of the static test article and the second spaceship is underway, and teams are preparing the rocket motor assembly line. The second spaceship is expected to begin commercial operations in late Q2 / early Q3 2027.
For more space news and insights, visit Space Connect.
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