Virgin Galactic has officially revealed its first next-generation spaceship, christened ‘Apeiron’, marking the debut of its new Delta class. The company also announced the results of a global vote that selected the name for this pioneering craft.
A Name Rooted in Ancient Greece
‘Apeiron,’ pronounced ‘AY-pee-ron,’ translates from ancient Greek to ‘boundless.’ This name was chosen from thousands of submissions in a public poll that engaged participants from 83 countries across six continents. ‘The name perfectly captures the spirit of space exploration and the possibilities it unlocks for humanity,’ stated Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Golglaizer. ‘Apeiron’ emerged victorious from a shortlist of four finalists, which were themselves selected from 276 nominations submitted by company employees. It outranked other contenders such as Horizon, Explorer, and Ascend.
A New Chapter in Space Tourism
The ‘Apeiron’ is the inaugural spaceship of the Delta class, poised to succeed the VSS Unity, which completed seven suborbital missions between the summer of 2023 and 2024. Virgin Galactic has temporarily suspended VSS Unity’s flights to concentrate on the development of the ‘Apeiron.’ The company aims to recommence customer flights by mid-2027. Each new Delta-class spaceship is designed to accommodate six passengers, with Virgin Galactic planning to operate each craft up to eight times per month.
Construction is already underway on the second Delta-class vessel, which is expected to join ‘Apeiron’ around the same time passenger flights resume. Currently, approximately 675 customers are on the waiting list for a suborbital spaceflight. The ticket price has seen a significant increase, rising from around $200,000 USD in 2014 to $850,000 USD today.
Similar to its predecessor, ‘Apeiron’ and subsequent Delta-class spacecraft are engineered for short suborbital journeys, meaning they will not reach Earth’s orbit. Instead, they will ascend beyond the internationally recognized boundary of space, the Kármán line (100 km above sea level), offering passengers several minutes of weightlessness and spectacular views of the planet.
Source: space.com
