Billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic lays off 185 employees as it doubles down on efforts to build new spaceships

• Virgin Galactic has laid off 185 employees, which represented about 18% of its workforce.
• The space-tourism company is focusing on building spaceships that can carry six passengers. 
• It's due to open a factory in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2024 to produce six of the spaceships a year.

Virgin Galactic laid off 185 employees — about 18% of its workforce — as it ramps up efforts to produce new spaceships,

CNBC reported the news.