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Planetary News: Private Missions (2008)Virgin Galactic Unveils Spaceship DesignsJanuary 23, 2008
Virgin Galactic today unveiled the design of its new space launch system based on SpaceShipOne, which successfully flew into space for the third time in October 2004 and won the $10m Ansari X Prize. The construction of the White Knight Two (WK2) mothership, or carrier aircraft, is now very close to completion at Scaled Composites in Mojave, CA and is expected to begin flight testing in the summer of 2008. White Knight Two will be the world's largest, all carbon composite aircraft. It is designed to have the capability of launching SpaceShipTwo -- carrying six passengers and two pilots -- into sub-orbital space flight. The WK2 mothership is powered by four Pratt and Whitney PW308A engines. The launch system has also been designed to be capable of lifting and launching small payloads other than SpaceShipTwo. While White Night Two and SpaceShipTwo have been under construction, Virgin Galactic's cadre of future astronauts has continued to grow, with more than 200 committed passengers and about 85,000 people who have registered interest in future flights. Virgin Galactic has been conducting astronaut orientation for spaceflight -- already 80 of SpaceShipTwo's first passengers have been through medical assessment and centrifuge training at the NASTAR facility in Philadelphia. Commenting on the unveiling, Burt Rutan, CEO of Scaled Composites, said: "Virgin Galactic produced a demanding output specification for the world's first private human and payload space launch system. This required us to produce a safe but flexible design capable of multiple applications in new market sectors. I am confident that these vehicles, now in an advanced stage of construction, will achieve just that." Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Galactic, added, "The designs of both the mothership and the new spaceship are absolutely beautiful and surpass any expectations for the future of commercial spaceflight that we had when first registering the name Virgin Galactic in 1999. Burt and his team have done a fantastic job and I am also delighted with the wonderful vision that Foster and Partners, working with URS, have shown in the final designs for Spaceport America in New Mexico. For more information about White Night Two and SpaceShipTwo, including a transcript of Sir Richard Branson’s speech from today’s unveiling, visit Virgin Galactic’s website. |
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