Artists conception of WhiteKnightTwo and the SpaceShipTwo space tourism vehicle. (Credit: Virgin Galactic)
Virgin Galactic Poised to Unveil Suborbital Space Liner
Space.com
All is in readiness for next Monday’s unveiling of SpaceShipTwo – the first-class space tourist’s wonder machine at the core of the space tourism firm Virgin Galactic’s suborbital fleet.
The scene is spacecraft manufacturer Scaled Composites at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. No doubt, there’s plenty of pomp and circumstance that’s due this debut – although specific aspects about the rocket plane’s rollout remain under wraps.
SpaceShipTwo is a carbon composite cousin in construction and design to SpaceShipOne – the privately financed, single-piloted spacecraft that bagged the $10 million Ansari X Prize purse by flying back-to-back treks to suborbital space in 2004.
That “Tier One” project was under the wing of veteran aerospace designer Burt Rutan, along with his team at Scaled Composites, and funded by greenbacks from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Over $100 million in cold cash was doled out in hot pursuit of the prize.
Read the full story.
Similar Posts:
- How Much Did SpaceDev’s Absence Affect Virgin’s Space Tourism Plans?
- SpaceShipTwo Flight Testing Scheduled; Flights Out of Las Cruces Set for 2012
- CSF Applauds SpaceShipTwo Rollout
- WhiteKnight Vehicles to Appear at Edwards Air Show
- Space Tourism By the Numbers Six Years On
