Agreement with Aurora Flight Sciences to
Deliver Two Vehicles, Each Designed to Fly Up To 200 Launches Per
Year
First New Mothership Expected to Enter Service
in 2025
Outsourced Manufacturing Approach Will Improve
Speed to Market, Provide Access to Labor Pools, Minimize Supply
Chain Disruption, and Realize Efficiencies
Virgin Galactic (NYSE: SPCE) (the “Company” or “Virgin
Galactic”), an aerospace and space travel company, today announced
an agreement with Aurora Flight Sciences (“Aurora”), a Boeing
company, to partner in the design and manufacturing of the
Company’s next generation motherships. The mothership is the air
launch carrier aircraft in Virgin Galactic’s space flight system,
that carries the spaceship to its release altitude of approximately
50,000 feet.
Headquartered in Virginia, Aurora brings more than 30 years of
experience building cutting-edge aircraft from concept to delivery
and specializes in novel aircraft configurations and complex
composites. Virgin Galactic has been working with Aurora for the
past several months to develop design specifications as well as
workforce and resource requirements in preparation for this
long-term project. The two-vehicle contract announced today will
enable Aurora to immediately begin development.
Virgin Galactic Chief Executive Officer Michael Colglazier said:
“Our next generation motherships are integral to scaling our
operations. They will be faster to produce, easier to maintain and
will allow us to fly substantially more missions each year.
Supported by the scale and strength of Boeing, Aurora is the ideal
manufacturing partner for us as we build our fleet to support 400
flights per year at Spaceport America.”
Virgin Galactic’s manufacturing strategy is designed to leverage
third party suppliers to improve efficiency, access new innovation
and technology, and tap into existing highly skilled labor pools.
This allows the Company’s in-house team to focus on complex and
critical elements such as design, engineering and final
assembly.
Aurora plans to manufacture the aircraft at its Columbus,
Mississippi and Bridgeport, West Virginia facilities. Final
assembly of the motherships will be completed at the Virgin
Galactic facility in Mojave, California.
“With Aurora, we are accessing the best of the nationwide
aerospace ecosystem,” said Swami Iyer, President of Aerospace
Systems. “As a subsidiary of the world’s largest aerospace company,
Aurora has some of the industry’s top engineers and manufacturing
facilities.”
Todd Citron, Boeing Chief Technology Officer and Vice President
and General Manager of Boeing Research & Technology added:
“Boeing is excited to contribute our culture of safety, our
operational excellence, and our expertise in aircraft design and
manufacturing to help advance human space travel. Today’s
announcement expands our collaboration with Virgin Galactic to
accelerate transformative aerospace technologies.”
“This partnership between Aurora and Virgin Galactic brings
together teams that share a passion for aerospace, innovation, and
exploration,” said Per Beith, Aurora President and CEO. “Aurora's
decades of experience in aircraft design, composite manufacturing,
and vehicle integration, coupled with our world-class engineers and
manufacturing technicians, enables us to provide the unique
expertise and capabilities necessary to complete these next
generation aircraft. We're thrilled to have this opportunity to
support Virgin Galactic’s mission to pioneer space travel.”
The first new mothership is expected to enter service in 2025,
the same year Virgin Galactic’s first Delta-class spaceship is
expected to begin revenue payload flights. The Company’s upcoming
commercial missions are expected in Q1 2023.
You can download all press materials including images and
b-roll from the Virgin Galactic Press
Assets
About Virgin Galactic Holdings
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. is an aerospace and space travel
company, pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and
researchers with its advanced air and space vehicles. It is
developing a spaceflight system designed to connect the world to
the wonder and awe created by space travel and to offer customers a
transformative experience. You can find more information at
https://www.virgingalactic.com/
About Aurora Flight Sciences
Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, advances the future of
flight by developing and applying innovations across aircraft
configurations, autonomous systems, propulsion technologies, and
manufacturing processes. With a passionate and agile team, Aurora
delivers solutions to its customers’ toughest challenges while
meeting high standards of safety and quality. Learn more at
www.aurora.aero
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements
within the meaning of federal securities laws with respect to
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (the "Company"), including
statements regarding the Company’s spaceflight systems, markets and
expected flight schedule. These forward-looking statements
generally are identified by words such as “believe,” “project,”
“expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,”
“opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and
similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions,
projections and other statements about future events that are based
on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are
subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual
future events to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements in this press release, including but not limited to the
factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as such
factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), accessible on
the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section
of our website at www.virgingalactic.com. These filings identify
and address other important risks and uncertainties that could
cause the Company’s actual events and results to differ materially
from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made.
Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking
statements, and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no
obligation and does not intend to update or revise these
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220706005791/en/
For media inquiries:
Virgingalacticpress@virgingalactic.com Aleanna Crane - Vice
President Communications 575.800.4422 Jeff Michael – Communications
Specialist 661.754.4300 For Investor Relations inquiries:
Vg-ir@virgingalactic.com
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