Virgin Galactic flights stay grounded while ticket prices head for the Moon

Virgin Galactic has postponed its return to commercial spaceflight until February 2027, with ticket prices set to increase later in the year. The company's financial results for Q2 2026 revealed a net loss of $56 million, down from $67 million a year earlier. Revenue was $0.1 million, compared to $0.4 million in 2025. CEO Michael Colglazier stated that demand exceeded the number of seats offered in the initial $750,000 batch, leading to a higher price for subsequent tickets.

However, those customers will have to wait until February 2027, as the first ship's commercial service is now expected to begin later than originally planned. The delay is due to additional time needed for avionics and systems installations. Colglazier explained that the schedule push is caused by numerous small but crucial installation tasks within the first spacecraft build.

Integrated vehicle ground testing will commence in late August, followed by flight testing in October. A second spacecraft is scheduled to join the fleet in March 2027, and the company anticipates achieving positive cash flow by the end of 2027. Virgin Galactic had previously planned to resume suborbital ticket sales in April, initially offering a $750,000 price tag, up from $600,000 in 2023.

This represents a significant increase from the $100,000 price set over two decades ago when Sir Richard Branson announced plans for a scaled-up version of Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne.