Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc..
SPCE.US | Manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. is an aerospace and space travel company. It is developing human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers. The company is involved in designing, developing, manufacturing, and operating spaceflight systems. It aims to provide suborbital spaceflights to space...Show More
Better Health for All
-20
Virgin Galactic's core service of human spaceflight for private individuals carries significant potential health risks for participants, including chronic motion sickness, neurological and cardiovascular problems, increased risk for blood clotting, vision problems, cancer, muscle atrophy, bone loss, and radiation exposure.
1
While the company facilitates health-related research, such as testing the Astroskin Bio-Monitor
2
, a surgical fluid management system
3
, and human physiology investigations
4
, these are limited positive impacts compared to the inherent risks of its primary service. Nearly all of the company's revenue is derived from spaceflights, which have scientifically established serious health harms for users. The company has a notable safety record, including an FAA grounding
5
and criticism for not disclosing VSS Unity veering off course.
6
Risk disclosures are incomplete, with informed consent for space tourists regarding radiation risks being inadequate.
7
Furthermore, rocket launches contribute to significant negative health externalities through pollution, with soot particles having a warming effect 500 times more potent than other sources
8
,
9
and potential for ozone layer depletion.
10
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
0
Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. is an aerospace and space travel company, not a financial institution. The company does not offer lending, deposit, or other financial services to consumers. Therefore, all KPIs related to financial products, services, and their impact on economic opportunity for underserved populations are not applicable. While the company engages in community support, such as over $30,000 in scholarship donations
1
and over 250 volunteer hours in 2024,
2
these initiatives do not fall under the specific definitions of community finance, financial literacy programs, or profit-sharing with underserved communities as outlined in the rubric for financial institutions.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
-20
The company's employee rating on Glassdoor is 2.5 out of 5 stars
1
, indicating an employee engagement score of 50/100. No specific, quantifiable data is available for living wage coverage, CEO to median pay ratio, collective bargaining share, safety incident rate, pay equity ratio, voluntary turnover rate, labor violation incidents, insecure contract share, or health insurance coverage.
Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
0
No specific data related to fair trade, ethical sourcing, or supply chain practices for Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (SPCE.US) was found in the provided articles. The articles mention other ESG aspects such as volunteer hours, scholarship donations, and LEED certification for a facility, but these are not relevant to the KPIs under the 'Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing' value. Over 250 volunteer hours were recorded
1
, over $30,000 in scholarship donations were made
2
, and over 1,200 students were reached
3
. The FAITH Hangar is LEED certified
4
.
Honest & Fair Business
-40
Virgin Galactic restated its financial statements for fiscal years 2019 and 2020 due to a warrant accounting issue
1
, averaging 0.4 restatements per year over the past five years.
2
The company has a formal whistleblower policy that includes a 24/7 ethics hotline
3
, an anonymous reporting option
4
, and protection against retaliation
5
, with established procedures for accounting-related complaints.
6
However, there is no evidence of independent investigation processes.
Kind to Animals
0
No evidence was found in the provided articles regarding Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc.'s performance on any of the 'Kind to Animals' KPIs. The articles primarily discuss the environmental impact of space tourism, such as carbon emissions and atmospheric effects, which are not relevant to this ethical value's scope.
No War, No Weapons
0
The provided articles do not contain specific, quantifiable evidence to assess Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (SPCE.US) against the 'No War, No Weapons' ethical value. While a Supplier Code of Conduct mentions conflict-free sourcing and export sanctions compliance
1
, and an ESG report notes general human rights commitments
2
, there is no data on revenue from arms contracts, R&D investment in dual-use technologies, sales to embargoed regimes, peacebuilding investments, or any other specific metrics outlined in the rubric. Information regarding board oversight of defense activities, compliance rates, or ethical red lines related to weapons is also absent.
Planet-Friendly Business
0
The provided articles lack specific, quantifiable data for Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (SPCE.US) across the Planet-Friendly Business KPIs. While some articles discuss the environmental impact of space tourism generally, or Virgin Galactic's emissions per passenger/flight
1
, no concrete annual total emissions for SPCE.US are provided. Information regarding renewable energy percentage, waste diversion rates, or the share of green-certified buildings is either not available or not presented in a quantifiable format applicable to the entire company. Furthermore, commitments and targets mentioned for 'Virgin Group' are explicitly stated as not applicable to SPCE.US
2
. Consequently, no KPIs can be scored based on the provided evidence.
Respect for Cultures & Communities
0
No specific, quantifiable evidence was found in the provided articles for any of the KPIs related to 'Respect for Cultures & Communities'. Information regarding formal partnerships with indigenous or local community groups, percentage of revenue reinvested locally, cultural appropriation incidents, cultural impact assessment protocols, local employment ratios, community grievance mechanisms, cultural preservation investments, local procurement, indigenous suppliers, cultural site protection, social license, charitable giving to cultural organizations, community fund allocation, language inclusivity, cultural incident response, or cultural sensitivity training completion rates was not explicitly stated or quantified in a manner that aligns with the rubric's thresholds.
Safe & Smart Tech
10
The company has reported no material data breaches in the last three years
1
and no material cybersecurity incidents or risks.
2
It has an Information Security Governance Program
3
and a cybersecurity response plan,
4
integrating tools and policies informed by NIST CSF and ISO 27001/27002 frameworks.
5
No incidents of unauthorized data use have been reported,
6
and the company implements data loss prevention and monitors its systems for security purposes.
7
For regulatory compliance, the company states it is aligned with U.S. Federal and State privacy laws and the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
8
It uses Standard Contractual Clauses for personal information transfers subject to EU and UK privacy laws
9
and has data controller representatives in the EU and UK.
10
Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
0
Virgin Galactic's core spaceflight system, including the Delta spaceship and mothership, is designed for exceptional durability, with a lifecycle of over 500 flights and hundreds of missions
1
, demonstrating a pioneering approach to product durability. This design for extensive reuse also reflects strong integration of circular design principles
2
. The company implements several waste reduction initiatives, including single-stream recycling, e-waste collection, carbon-fiber waste diversion for skateboard production, on-site purified water dispensers, and specialty waste disposal procedures
3
. Hazardous waste is managed through specialty disposal procedures in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations
4
. However, the company's waste reduction targets are vague, focusing on minimizing overall environmental impact rather than specific, measurable waste reduction goals with timelines
5
.