Virgin Galactic opened the hangar today at the Mojave Air and Space Port to reveal its suborbital aircraft, the WhiteKnightTwo. The aircraft is a mother ship capable of ferrying its component airship, the SpaceShipTwo, into a suborbital trajectory where it can easily exit the Earth’s atmosphere into space.
Sir Richard Branson, iconic CEO of Virgin, and Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites, lead designer of the project, were on hand for the unveiling. SpaceShipTwo — still under wraps at the facility — has yet to be shown.
Branson remarked, “As usual, Burt and the Scaled team have created a beauty, and this is a very proud day for us all. The rollout of WhiteKnightTwo takes the Virgin Galactic vision to the next level and continues to provide tangible evidence that this most ambitious of projects is not only for real, but is making tremendous progress toward our goal of safe commercial operation.” Virgin has stated in the past that it will become the first commercial airline to travel to space on a regular basis.
To Go Where No Commercial Craft Has Gone Before
Virgin Galactic will use a two-stage system to boost scientists, astronauts and passengers into Earth’s orbit. The WhiteKnightTwo will carry between its twin fuselages its orbital companion, the SpaceShipTwo. Once the WhiteKnightTwo reaches altitudes of 50,000 feet, it will release SpaceShipTwo to make its way beyond the atmosphere into space.
Specifications of the WhiteKnightTwo indicate its capacity is 30 percent greater than needed when it is loaded with SpaceShipTwo, giving it ample power to piggyback the passenger vehicle.
The aim of Virgin Galactic is to accelerate the commercialization of space through reusable and reliable transportation of passengers and materials into Earth’s orbit. The specifications of the WhiteKnightTwo boast that it can accommodate four flights per day — an incredible increase…