Virgin Galactic has entered into a two-year research agreement with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The partnership, signed with the Space Warfare Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, focuses on utilizing the company's new Spaceship suborbital craft for space weather data collection.
The collaboration involves evaluating the integration of specialized sensors into the spacecraft to gather environmental data during flight. CEO Michael Colglazier stated that the new fleet was designed with the flexibility to accommodate diverse research missions and data acquisition services.
This initiative follows a similar agreement established in December 2025 with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which explores sensor deployment for high-latitude imaging. Dr. Sean Ard of the AFRL noted that the platform will help address the current shortage of data regarding the mesosphere and lower thermosphere.
