Virgin Galactic unveils SpaceShipTwo
Posted: Tue, Dec 8, 2009, 10:40 AM ET (1540 GMT)
Space tourism company Virgin Galactic formally unveiled its suborbital spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo, at an event Monday in California. The first SpaceShipTwo, christened VSS Enterprise, was rolled out attached to its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft during a ceremony at Mojave Airport north of Los Angeles. The spacecraft, capable of carrying six passengers and two pilots to an altitude of over 100 kilometers, is scheduled to begin test flights in the near future and enter commercial service no sooner than early 2011. About 800 invited guests and press attended the event, including the governors of California and New Mexico. The post-rollout celebration ended early when high winds forced organizers to evacuate guests from tents erected for the event on one of the airport's runways.
Space tourism company Virgin Galactic formally unveiled its suborbital spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo, at an event Monday in California. The first SpaceShipTwo, christened VSS Enterprise, was rolled out attached to its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft during a ceremony at Mojave Airport north of Los Angeles. The spacecraft, capable of carrying six passengers and two pilots to an altitude of over 100 kilometers, is scheduled to begin test flights in the near future and enter commercial service no sooner than early 2011. About 800 invited guests and press attended the event, including the governors of California and New Mexico. The post-rollout celebration ended early when high winds forced organizers to evacuate guests from tents erected for the event on one of the airport's runways.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, January 23
How Elon Musk’s Starlink is changing American foreign policy
POLITICO — 6:33 am ET (1133 GMT) Elon Musk's Starlink: A must-have for airlines, or a costly perk?
Reuters — 6:32 am ET (1132 GMT) Space Force Targets Jan. 25 For Next GPS III Launch
Aviation Week — 6:31 am ET (1131 GMT) SSC commander releases 2026 commitments, command plan updates
US Space Force — 6:31 am ET (1131 GMT) Space Force Chief Gen. B. Chance Saltzman: Warns on weaponized tactics
Washington Times — 6:30 am ET (1130 GMT) |
