Virgin Galactic and the Air Force Research Laboratory enter agreement to advance space weather science

Virgin Galactic, a leader in commercial spaceflight and advanced aerospace technology, today announced a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Space Warfare Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, the Department of the Air Force's primary organisation for space environment research and technology development. The 24-month agreement will explore the use of Virgin Galactic's next-generation Spaceship to capture space weather data and accelerate understanding of its effects on space-based infrastructure.

Under the agreement, researchers will evaluate the integration of sensor systems with Virgin Galactic's next-generation Spaceship to collect space weather data during flight.

"We are pleased to support the Air Force Research Laboratory with important data gathered from our new Spaceships, which have been created with flexibility to enable a wide array of research and data acquisition services," said Michael Colglazier, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Galactic. "This cooperative research and development agreement will help expand and identify new and additional opportunities for our growing fleet."

Dr. Shaun Ard, Senior Research Chemist at AFRL, added: "Understanding space weather dynamics in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) depends on consistent, high-quality observational data, which has remained limited at scale. This collaboration gives our researchers access to a platform particularly well-suited to fill that gap, supporting efforts to protect and advance space-based systems essential to modern infrastructure and exploration."

Virgin Galactic signed a similar CRADA with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in December 2025. Under that agreement, Virgin Galactic and LLNL are assessing the use of sensor systems aboard Virgin Galactic's launch vehicle with the aim of gathering data and accelerating the development of next-generation high-altitude image-capture capabilities.