Space, the ultimate tourist destination! It sounds out of
this world, but as science technology evolved, so did the possibilities. Virgin
founder, Sir Richard Branson, together with SpaceShipOne designer, Burt Rutan,
promised to deliver the ultimate sub-orbital space experience in their quest to
roll out the first private space access system for people, payload and science.
On Monday, the new WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft was
unveiled to the public, during an event held at the Mojave Air Space Port in
front of thousands of attendees. WhiteKnightTwo will be responsible for ferrying
SpaceShipTwo and thousands of private astronauts, science packages and payload
into space.
Christened “EVE” in the honor of Sir Richard Branson’s
mother, the WhiteNightTwo represents a ground-breaking achievement in aerospace
technology, as the world’s largest all carbon composite aircraft. Some of the
aircraft’s components have been built using composite materials for the first
time, making the WK2 the quintessence of the 21st century aerospace design and technology.
“WhiteKnightTwo represents the apogee of the application of
carbon composites to aerospace,” said Burt Rutan, founder of the Scaled
Composites facility, adding that the vehicle will probably be developed and
sold for a variety of applications beyond the initial requirements of Virgin
Galactic. “We hope that its efficiency will herald a wake up call to the
aerospace industry and the necessity of using new materials and technologies in
the future,” Rutan said.
Rutan’s Scaled Composites factory built SpaceShipOne, the
first commercially developed spaceship and winner of the $10 million Ansari X
Prize in 2004. Its next gen follow-up, SpaceShipTwo, is over 70 percent
complete, Virgin Galactic revealed.
The aircraft’s 140 ft wing spar is the longest single carbon
composite aviation component ever manufactured. WhiteKnightTwo has a unique
heavy lift, high altitude capability and an open architecture that provides for
maximum versatility in the weight, mass and volume of its payload potential,
its creators explained.
The vehicle is capable of reaching 50,000 ft maximum
altitude, and the U.S. coast-to-coast range will allow it to be ferried on long
duration flights. WK2 is capable of providing positive G force and zero G
astronaut training in pre-space flights.
WK2 combines power and economy with the highly demanded fuel
efficiency through its four Pratt and Whitney PW308A engines. The twin fuselage
and central payload area configuration provide easy access for the crew and
passengers. The aircraft was designed to support up to 4 daily space flights,
whether during the day or at night.
Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, said about
the WhiteKnightTwo that “it takes the Virgin Galatic 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 towards our goal of safe
commercial operation.”
Before the aircraft will be ready to receive its
space-tourists, it will undergo a series of tests, with its first flight
scheduled to take place in the fall of 2008. The SpaceShipTwo will be carried
as a payload for the first time in 2009. Passenger flights are not expected to
begin earlier than late 2009 or 2010.
It is well known that some people have paid tens of millions
of dollars for a space-flight to the International Space Station. Virgin
Galactic vision however is to send approximately 500 people into space in the
first year for $200,000 each, with subsequent tourists to pay less. So far,
Virgin is said to have received over 200 firm reservations, accounting for $30
million in deposits.
