Spaceflight
Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft for its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle was rolled out of one of Scaled Composites' hangars at Mojave air and spaceport in California on 28 July. The design had been unveiled in New York in January and the finished experimental prototype will start taxi trials soon with its maiden flight planned for September.
Scaled is designing and constructing the prototype WK2 and SS2 vehicles. The Virgin group, Scaled joint venture, The Spaceship Company, will build the commercially operated WK2 and SS2, the in-service date for which is expected to be from 2010.
© Alan Radecki |
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