The shiny ‘VSS Imagine’ features a mirror-like exterior coating for thermal protection. (Photo: Virgin Galactic/Reuters)
MOJAVE, California: Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc unveiled on Tuesday its newest spacecraft, VSS Imagine, the first vehicle produced under a new assembly system that’s critical to the company’s goal of offering daily tourism flights to space.
“The Imagine demonstrates progress toward efficient design and production,” the company said in a statement.
The new manufacturing process will reduce maintenance and enable a quicker flight tempo as the company seeks to “scale the business for the long-term.”
The spacecraft will soon begin ground testing, with glide tests planned this summer at Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport America facility in New Mexico.
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