Virgin Galactic shares fall as quarterly results reveal next spaceflight test delayed to May
- Virgin Galactic was targeting as early as Feb. 13 for the spaceflight test, which represents a repeat of its flight attempt in December that was cut short by an engine anomaly, but delayed it to May due to further corrective work needed.
- The space tourism company reported an adjusted EBITDA loss of $59.5 million, down slightly from a loss of $66 million in the previous quarter.
- Virgin Galactic also said it will roll out the next spacecraft in its fleet, and the first of the SpaceShip III generation, on March 30.
Virgin Galactic delivered fourth quarter results after the market closed on Thursday, with the company disclosing its next spaceflight test is delayed to May.
The company was targeting as early as Feb. 13 for the spaceflight test of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle "Unity," which represents a repeat of its flight attempt in December that was cut short by an engine anomaly. Virgin Galactic's investor presentation disclosed that it "identified EMI as the root cause" of the December engine flight abort, with "additional EMI impacts" uncovered during preparations for the Feb. 13 reflight.
While only two pilots will be on board, the flight is expected to be the first of three as the company seeks to finish developing its spacecraft system and begin flying paying passengers.
Shares of Virgin Galactic fell as much as 11% in after hours trading, after having fallen 8.4% during the day to close at $42.24 a share.
"We accomplished several significant milestones during 2020 despite the ongoing challenges posed by
the COVID-19 pandemic," Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said in a press release. "Looking ahead, we're focused on completing our test flight program, expanding our fleet of spaceships and motherships, and developing our unique and transformative customer experience."
The space tourism company reported an adjusted EBITDA loss of $59.5 million, down slightly from a loss of $66 million in the previous quarter. The company booked $0 of revenue in the quarter, as it did in the prior quarter.
The company has about $666 million in cash on hand as of the end of the year, down from about $742 million in the third quarter.
Virgin Galactic also said it will roll out the next spacecraft in its fleet, and the first of the SpaceShip III generation, on March 30. That next spacecraft will begin flight tests this summer.
The company announced earlier on Thursday that CFO Jon Campagna is stepping down, effective on Monday. He will be succeeded by Doug Ahrens, former CFO of semiconductor specialist Mellanox.
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