Virgin Galactic Signs Agreement With Air Force Research Laboratory for Space Weather Data

08:18 AM EDT, 10/14/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Virgin Galactic (SPCE) has signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Warfare Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, it said on Wednesday. Under the 24-month agreement, Virgin Galactic will integrate sensor systems on its latest spacecraft to capture space weather data and understand its effects on space-based infrastructure, the company said. The research is intended to improve understanding of conditions in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, where observational data remains limited, according to Shaun Ard, a senior research chemist at the laboratory. Financial terms were not disclosed.