Research Flights

As the premiere way to travel to space, our focus is set on creating the safest and most thoughtful customer experience, including our Virgin Galactic research spaceflights. We’re proud to provide researchers access to space for affordable and repeatable testing in a microgravity environment. This means more opportunities to conduct experiments and develop educational and research programs that support worldwide innovation.

Contact us to discuss research spaceflights or to request a payload users guide. 

Research With Us

OUR SUBORBITAL RESEARCH PLATFORM

Our suborbital platform is an end-to-end offering which includes our vehicles, and facilities needed for a successful mission. The platform offers a routine, reliable and responsive service, which can be used to fly autonomous or human-tended experiments.

OUR FLEET
Our Spaceflight System offers unmatched mission capabilities to access uncharted regions of the upper atmosphere and space.

VMS EVE: Our mothership, a four-engine, dual-fuselage jet aircraft capable of high-altitude lift missions.

VSS UNITY: Our spaceship, an air-launched, suborbital spaceplane capable of routinely reaching space. 

OUR FACILITIES & TEAM
Before flight, you will work with our Payload Integration Team at our state-of-the-art facility at Gateway To Space at Spaceport America to make sure your experiment is ready for space.

OUR MICROGRAVITY EXPERIENCE 

• Exposure to about 3 minutes of high-quality microgravity per flight.

• Quick payload recovery, with pre-flight and post-flight access within hours of launch.

• Access to Spaceport America’s state-of-the-art facilities, New Mexico’s favorable weather conditions and secure access to airspace.

• Payload capacity of 450+ kg (1,000+ lbs) aboard our Spaceships.

• 500 cubic feet (14 m3) of matching pressurized usable payload volumes, including 50 cubic feet (1.4 m3) of rack space in a fully pressurized cabin.

• Versatile payload mounting system to accommodate all leadings payload standards, such as Middeck Lockers, Cargo Transfer Bags, and server racks.

• Dramatically gentler g-loading than sounding rockets, with significantly longer microgravity than parabolic flights and drop towers.