Here’s what to know about Virgin Galactic, its space tourism program and how you can help name one of the company’s spaceplanes.
Most people can’t afford to take a commercial trip to space, but people can help name a vehicle that will soon transport paying customers beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Virgin Galactic, a commercial aerospace company specializing in suborbital flights to space, seeks public input on the official name of one of the vehicles that will be part of its next generation of spaceplanes. The opportunity to propose names has passed, but voting is now underway on one of four finalists that could become the official title of one spaceship in the company’s fleet.
“This is a rare chance to help shape a piece of spaceflight history, and to be part of a moment that will inspire future explorers for years to come,” Virgin Galactic said in an Aug. 11 blog post announcing the initiative.
Here’s what to know about Virgin Galactic, its space tourism program and how you can help name one of the company’s spacecraft.
What is Virgin Galactic? What to know about Richard Branson’s company
Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company that is part of British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Group conglomerate.
Like its competitor Blue Origin, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, Virgin Galactic specializes in carrying paying customers on brief flights to the edge of space. The market is one Blue Origin recently took a hiatus from as it turns its focus to developing a lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis moon missions.
A tenant of Spaceport America in New Mexico, Virgin Galactic has flown 32 people to space across 12 missions.
Virgin Galactic wants the public to vote on name of spacecraft
Virgin Galactic employees and customers who bought tickets for future trips to space with the company were invited to submit ideas to name a spaceplane in its fleet.
The 276 total proposals have since been whittled down to four finalists “that embody the ambition, optimism, and spirit of exploration at the heart of Virgin Galactic,” the company said:
- Horizon
- Explore
- Ascend
- Apeiron, an ancient Greek word meaning infinite
How to cast your vote
Those age 13 and older have until Aug. 27, 2026, to cast a vote here for one of the four finalist names, according to Virgin Galactic.
Restart of Virgin Galactic space tourism program falls to 2027
More than two years have elapsed since Virgin Galactic last flew civilian passengers to space in June 2024 before the company paused its spaceflight program.
The reason for the break? To give Virgin Galactic time to develop and test its new Delta-class spaceplane, officially dubbed SpaceShip.
Flights under the company’s space tourism program were long expected to resume by the end of 2026. But Virgin Galactic announced in its most recent quarterly financial report that the timeline has now slipped to February 2027.
Developed to be reused for faster turnaround time between missions, the SpaceShip vehicle is an upgraded design of its now-retired VSS Unity spaceplane. With tickets costing $750,000 (and climbing), the vehicle can fly up to eight times a month with six passengers.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com