Thread by @thesheetztweetz

Virgin Galactic $SPCE begins its Q2 2021 call, with CEO Michael Colglazier and CFO Doug Ahrens.
cnbc.com/2021/08/05/vir…

CEO Colglazier confirms that private astronauts sales will begin at $450,000 per seat, while microgravity research and professional astronaut training flights are priced at $600,000 $SPCE

Colglazier: Over 125,000 people have donated and entered the Omaze lottery to win one of two seats on a future spaceflight. $SPCE

Colglazier: Both VSS Unity and VMS Eve in "excellent condition" after Unity 22 $SPCE

Colglazier: After the completion of "modifications and enhancements" to carrier aircraft VMS Eve, Virgin Galactic will conduct a glide flight test of VSS Imagine and then the Unity 24 flight $SPCE

Colglazier: VMS Eve and VSS Unity "have been flying at low rate intervals, and this cadence is throttled by the amount and frequency of maintenance and inspection work performed after reach flight." Reducing that time is "a key priority." $SPCE

Colglazier: Virgin Galactic is targeting a reduced turnaround time of 4-5 weeks between VSS Unity spaceflights, rather than the current top turnaround time of 7-8 weeks after improvements to VMS Eve $SPCE

Colglazier: VSS Imagine turnaround time between spaceflights expected "to be meaningfully shorter" than 4-5 weeks. $SPCE

Colglazier says Virgin Galactic focus is on three areas:

1 - Completing flight testing and enhancements
2 - Expanding the fleet
3 - Capturing and expanding consumer demand

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Colglazier declines to share more about the production rate or expected turnaround times of Virgin Galactic's coming Delta class of spacecraft $SPCE

Colglazier: Virgin Galactic will be "doing early research" about its next spaceport location in 2022

"What I think is really important is that we demonstrate value to New Mexico" currently.
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Colglazier gives a shoutout to @SirishaBandla's work testing human-tended research on a Virgin Galactic spaceflight, paving the way for researchers like @kelliegerardi

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@SirishaBandla @kelliegerardi Colglazier, asked if Virgin Galactic is "limited to 24 to 36 flights a year until the Delta class" debuts:

"The confidence we built in the [TAM] following Unity 22 really demands we move to a production fleet as quickly as possible." $SPCE

@SirishaBandla @kelliegerardi Colglazier: There will "be a modest premium" added to the price of purchasing a full flight. (Note: 4 seats at $450,000 per seat would be $1.8 million, so it sounds like a dedicated flight will cost upwards of $2 million). $SPCE

@SirishaBandla @kelliegerardi Colglazier: Functionally, the enhancement period is "a life extension program" for carrier aircraft VMS Eve $SPCE

@SirishaBandla @kelliegerardi Colglazier says VMS Eve will return Virgin Galactic's facility in Mojave, CA as it will be undergoing "reasonably robust modifications." $SPCE

@SirishaBandla @kelliegerardi Colglazier: VMS Eve's modification downtime will run from immediately after Unity 23 in September until mid-2022.

Note: That pushes back the company's beginning of commercial service, with a Virgin Galactic spokesperson telling me the Unity 25 mission is targeting Q3 2022 $SPCE