Boeing subsidiary to build Virgin Galactic's motherships

Virgin Galactic is partnering with Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to manufacture the next generation of the twin-fuselage aircraft used to carry aloft the space tourism company's rocket ship.

Two of the customized carrier planes will be constructed by Aurora Flight Sciences at its sites in West Virginia and Mississippi. The last stages of construction will still be carried out at Virgin Galactic's facility in Mojave, California, and the first mothership built following the contract is scheduled to start operations in 2025.

The aircraft can execute up to 200 launches per year.

Officials from Virgin Galactic stated that by outsourcing the task, they would have access to workers, reduce supply chain problems, and accelerate production.

Virgin Galactic has frequently delayed the launch date for paying consumers.

The commercial service is now expected in 2023.

Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said the next-generation motherships will be faster, easier to maintain, and will allow them to fly substantially more missions each year.

Early in the process, Virgin Galactic had considered many aerospace producers, but ultimately chose Aurora due in part to the latter's track record of producing cutting-edge aircraft. For the past three decades, it has designed and produced a new aircraft virtually every year.

Officials from Virgin Galactic also mentioned Aurora's direct access to Boeing's resources and expertise.