White Knight 2

11.23.09

Virgin Galactic Rolls Out Mother Ship

Carrier craft for SpaceShipTwo makes its debut in Mojave California
By Michael Belfiore Posted 07.28.2008 at 6:11 pm 5 Comments

Virgin Group head Sir Richard Branson unveiled the latest addition to his air- and spaceline fleet at the Mojave Airport in California today, accompanied by the craft's chief designer, Burt Rutan.

The White Knight 2 is a four-engine jet that will carry an 8-seat spaceship called SpaceShipTwo to an altitude of 48,000 feet so that the spaceship can drop off and fire its rocket engine for a brief run to suborbital space. Branson's Virgin Galactic hopes to begin regularly scheduled passenger service to space in 2010.

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