Virgin Galactic unveils SpaceShipTwo cabin model
Posted: Thu, Sep 28, 2006, 5:20 PM ET (2120 GMT)
Space tourism operator Virgin Galactic unveiled Thursday a conceptual model of the cabin of SpaceShipTwo (SS2), the suborbital passenger spacecraft being developed for the company by Scaled Composites. The cabin features eight seats, two for the pilots and six for passengers; the seats recline after launch to provide more room in the cabin for movement during zero-g and to accommodate the g-forces of reentry. SS2 will be about 18 meters long, twice the length of its predecessor, SpaceShipOne. Virgin Galactic also released an animation showing a typical flight, but cautioned that the depictions of SS2 and its carrier aircraft, White Knight 2, were notional; the exact design remains proprietary. Virgin officials said they plan to officially unveil both vehicles in about a year, with flight tests scheduled to begin in late 2007 or early 2008.
Space tourism operator Virgin Galactic unveiled Thursday a conceptual model of the cabin of SpaceShipTwo (SS2), the suborbital passenger spacecraft being developed for the company by Scaled Composites. The cabin features eight seats, two for the pilots and six for passengers; the seats recline after launch to provide more room in the cabin for movement during zero-g and to accommodate the g-forces of reentry. SS2 will be about 18 meters long, twice the length of its predecessor, SpaceShipOne. Virgin Galactic also released an animation showing a typical flight, but cautioned that the depictions of SS2 and its carrier aircraft, White Knight 2, were notional; the exact design remains proprietary. Virgin officials said they plan to officially unveil both vehicles in about a year, with flight tests scheduled to begin in late 2007 or early 2008.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, October 6
Space Force seeking hundreds of interservice transfers ahead of growth
Colorado Springs Gazette — 1:12 am ET (0512 GMT) FAA advances Starship, New Glenn and Terran R reviews for Cape Canaveral launches
WESH-TV Orlando — 1:11 am ET (0511 GMT) Zelenskyy announces Ukrainian satellite system modeled on Starlink
The New Voice of Ukraine — 1:07 am ET (0507 GMT) Iran protests Norway’s inaction over unauthorized Starlink operations
Tehran Times — 1:07 am ET (0507 GMT) Commercial Satellites in the Crosshairs
RealClearDefense — 1:07 am ET (0507 GMT) |
