Virgin Galactic today announced the name of its new Spaceship will be Apeiron (App-Err-On). Drawn from the ancient Greek concept of the boundless, Apeiron embodies the infinite possibilities that spaceflight brings to each of us individually and all of us collectively.
The name was chosen by a public vote that drew thousands of responses from around the world. This included 83 countries and six continents, giving the global space community a direct role in shaping the identity of the company’s lead Spaceship.
“Apeiron, the Boundless, captures the ambition of human spaceflight and the possibilities it opens for humanity. The extraordinary response to the public vote made choosing this name even more meaningful. We’re proud that the lead ship in Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship fleet will carry a name chosen by the people who share our excitement for what comes next,” said Michael Colglazier, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Galactic.
Apeiron’s first commercial spaceflight is expected in early Q2 2027, and it's expected to begin commercial spaceflight operations in late Q2/early Q3 2027. The updated timeline reflects additional time for completing avionics software integration and validation, which uses an exhaustive testing process. That testing will conclude at Spaceport America as Apeiron is readied for its flight test series.
With Apeiron repositioned to its operations base and two-ship commercial spaceflight operations expected by early Q3 2027, Virgin Galactic is moving more than 100 members of its astronaut community into their first phase of readiness and preparation, with additional cohorts expected to follow on a rolling basis.
Work at the Spaceship Factory now shifts to the completion of the structural test assembly of the wing and fuselage, along with completion of the second Spaceship’s assembly and preparation of the rocket motor assembly line. Structural testing of the feather assembly has already been successfully completed.
