# Virgin Galactic's Apeiron rolls out as space tourism's last hope

> With Blue Origin and SpaceX out of the suborbital tourism business, Virgin Galactic's new Delta-class spacecraft represents the only near-term path to flying paying customers to space.
- Title: Virgin Galactic's Apeiron rolls out as space tourism's last…
- Summary: With Blue Origin and SpaceX out of the suborbital tourism business, Virgin Galactic's new Delta-class spacecraft represents the only near-term path to flying…
- Keywords: virgin galactic, space tourism, apeiron, blue origin, spacex, suborbital flight, spaceport america, technology, science, Virgin, Galactic's, rolls
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/the-last-best-hope-for-space-tourism-just-rolled-onto-a-runway-in-arizona
- Published: 2026-10-28T19:20:36+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: virgin galactic, space tourism, apeiron, blue origin, spacex, suborbital flight, spaceport america, technology, science
## Space tourism's golden age is over
Blue Origin's New Shepard paused in January after ten months without flying. SpaceX flew its last Dragon tourism mission in April twenty twenty-five. Virgin Galactic's final suborbital flight was June twenty twenty-four.
## Blue Origin moved on to bigger rockets
New Shepard's engineering teams now support the New Glenn rocket and Blue Moon lander programs. The company has effectively abandoned suborbital space tourism.
## SpaceX's Starship has no human timeline
SpaceX retired Dragon for tourism after April twenty twenty-five. Remaining missions will carry at least one government astronaut. There is no credible timeline for Starship to fly humans from Earth.
## Apeiron gets its name and moves
Virgin Galactic named its first Delta-class spacecraft Apeiron, chosen through public vote from the ancient Greek concept of the boundless. On Wednesday it moved from Mesa, Arizona to Spaceport America in New Mexico.

> 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.
## Months of testing lie ahead
Apeiron will undergo avionics and software completion, ground tests, captive carry tests with aircraft VMS Eve, a drop test, and a powered test flight above eighty kilometres before commercial service.
## Commercial flights expected early twenty twenty-seven
Virgin Galactic expects Apeiron's first commercial spaceflight in early second quarter twenty twenty-seven. Success requires flying nearly flawlessly with unprecedented durability to bring hundreds of people to space each year.
## Virgin Galactic is space tourism's only hope
The company's stock fell from one thousand one hundred eighteen dollars in twenty twenty-one to two dollars fifty recently.
## Key takeaway

Virgin Galactic moved its first Delta-class spacecraft, Apeiron, to New Mexico for final assembly, with commercial flights expected in early twenty twenty-seven, as Blue Origin and SpaceX have abandoned space tourism.