The Spaceship Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE), showed off the “Weight on Wheels” milestone of its second commercial spaceship.
This milestone, with all major structural components installed, was completed in much less time than the build of the first spaceship.
According the company’s website, “…the increased pace of construction was “achieved through a more efficient, modular assembly process, as well as experience curve benefits.”
A third spaceship is already under construction.
Virgin Galactic’s CEO, George Whitesides, said: “We now have two spaceships that are structurally complete, with our third making good progress.
These spaceships are destined to provide thousands of private astronauts with a truly transformative experience by performing regular trips to space.’’
The spaceships are designed to carry fare-paying passengers to the edge of space, to see the curvature of the earth and experience weightlessness.
Although not yet scheduled, the first flights are expected later this year.
The spacecraft will also be equipped to carry experiments that require time at microgravity.