Virgin Galactic Partners with Redwire to Advance Research Capabilities for New Delta Spaceships

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. [Jan. 30] Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (Virgin Galactic or the Company) today announced a partnership with Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW) to manufacture the research payload lockers that will travel aboard Virgin Galactics new Delta-Class spaceships. This new platform will significantly upgrade the microgravity research capabilities available with Virgin Galactic.

Redwire is a global space infrastructure and innovation company with decades of experience in developing biotech and industrial-manufacturing technologies to operate in microgravity. The company has developed 20 research facilities for crewed spacecraft, with 10 currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), supporting world-leading research and manufacturing missions.

Sirisha Bandla, Virgin Galactics Vice President of Research Operations, said: Our new state-of-the-art research platform, designed for compatibility with longer duration space mission locker standards, means we can offer a suborbital space lab suited for testing technologies and research in preparation for orbital, lunar, or Martian missions. Redwire is a pioneer in the commercialization of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) research, and we are thrilled to partner with Redwire to further enhance Virgin Galactics proven, safe, and reliable microgravity research platform.

The new platform will also enhance and simplify the research experience through the customizable Redwire plug-and-play lockers, delivering real-time data throughout the entire spaceflight.

These lockers are optimized for both autonomous and human-tended research, with adaptable front panels allowing for easier access before, during, and after the spaceflight. They will also allow researchers to transition their suborbital experiments to payloads aboard the ISS at a lower cost and at lower risk.

We are leveraging everything we have learned in our 35 years of outfitting crewed spacecraft to develop these lockers, said Redwire President of In Space Industries John Vellinger. Redwire is excited to partner with Virgin Galactic, leveraging its unique platform for suborbital-to-orbital research and development. Virgin Galactics Delta spaceships bring to market a new capability that expands the opportunities for commercial space innovation.

Virgin Galactics vehicles offer a suborbital space lab for researchers, commercial industry and governments to experiment, qualify technology and train astronauts in spaceflight and microgravity. Virgin Galactics centralized flight operations at Spaceport America offer researchers access to dedicated training programs and facilities, science and research preparation labs and, given the runway takeoff and landing, immediate access to their research for loading and unloading.

Virgin Galactic spaceships have the flexibility to hold a blend of payload racks and researcher astronauts to support both autonomous and human-tended research. Each spaceship will be capable of holding five payload racks, for up to 20 lockers total. Currently in production, the first Delta-Class spaceships are expected to enter commercial service in 2026.