The unveiling of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo (SS2) design in January may have provided an insight into the suborbital tourism company's point-to-point travel plans.
As well as SS2, developed under Scaled Composites' Tier 1b programme (SpaceShipOne was developed under Tier 1), Virgin Galctic's president Will Whitehorn has spoken of a hypersonic point-to-point service. This would provide a rapid trans-Atlantic trip or the oft mooted 2h London, England to Sydney, Australia journey.
This would use a vehicle that has been called SpaceShipThree (SS3).
Although SS3 has also been referred to by Whitehorn as an orbital vehicle, and a SpaceShipFour as a possible name for a two-stage micro satellite launching rocket, at the New York SS2 and its carrier aircraft White Knight II unveil Whitehorn told me that SS3 would actually be a point-to-point vehicle travelling outside the atmosphere.
Such a point-to-point vehicle could be a stepping stone to solving the technical challenges for a manned orbital vehicle but for now, Whitehorn, tells me, he expects work to begin on SS3 soon after Virgin Galactic's commercial operations are underway.
Whitehorn envisages a 2012 timeframe for detailed SS3 work to begin using capital market financing, which Whitehorn expects to be available in the wake of a successful Virgin Galactic service.
But why do I think that SS2 could be an insight into SS3? It is because of the choice of a Dyna-Soar inspired design for the suborbital tourism vehicle.
While SS2 will likely not travel any faster than Mach 3, Dyna-Soar was designed for Mach 5. The choice of a twin-fuselage configuration for SS2's carrier aircraft White Knight II is also a potential SS3 related decision.
This Russian design, seen here at Livescience.com, suggets that Burt Rutan and his team have made the right first step and looked at previous work in this area, as well as use the incremental engineering improvements to the SpaceShipOne systems that we now see a part of SS2.
More from me on Rutan's engineering choices later, but first I just have to go and visit Alliant Techsystems and talk solid rocket boosters and that Ares I first-stage.
on March 1, 2008 7:39 PM | Reply
More info needed: what is the source of the SS3/WK3 illustration leading your article? Is it from an inside source? Or is it a merely a speculative illustration to illuminate the text of the article?
on March 2, 2008 12:24 AM | Reply
Very interesting! What is the source of the illustration? Thanks!
on March 2, 2008 5:49 AM | Reply
The illustration is speculation by our senior editorial artist and I, but informed from what we already know about SS2, Dyna-Soar and the Russian work.
I got back from ATK too late on Friday to add any more to this blog posting, I was too tired after a day spent in the Utah based-factories and test sites of the Shuttle and Ares programmes' SRB facilities with the engineers.
I am in the Holiday Inn, Denver, at the moment (2248h), for my flight back to the UK tomorrow but expect a follow-up SpaceShipThree blog this week from me and there will be a new Ares I first-stage story from me, via flightglobal.com.
on March 3, 2008 12:09 AM | Reply
SS3 was originally supposed to be the orbital step. Disappointing that it is no longer true. Burt hasn't even been able to fire up the engine on SS2 yet.
on March 14, 2008 10:14 PM | Reply
How much velocity does it take to fly 8000 miles in a parabola? 10000 mph or Mach 13? That is the distance from the Mohave Desert in California to Paris France. Could the Paris Air Show in 2013 or 2014 be the site of the greatest aerial feat t since Lucky Lindy in 1927?
Stay Tuned.
For those who are disappointed that SS3 doesn't immediately fly to ISS, check out the history of the Jupiter C spacecraft. It flew 3400 miles in 1955. It could have gone orbital with a weight reduction of about 200 lbs. In other words, SS3 can do both. As far as Virgin Galactic is concerned, they can earn more money in the near future flying the hyper rich long distances in a very short time than they can flying them to ISS.