Posted: Fri, Aug 20, 2010, 7:43 AM ET (1143 GMT)
WhiteKnightTwo (WK2), the carrier aircraft for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo (SS2) suborbital spacecraft, had part of its landing gear collapse upon landing after a test flight Thursday. The left main landing gear on the twin-hulled aircraft collapsed when it landed at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California Thursday morning. The aircraft was completing its 37th test flight; SpaceShipTwo was not attached to WK2 on that flight. Scaled Composites, which is building WK2 and SS2 for Virgin, described the problem as a "minor incident" with no injuries. An FAA spokesman told the AP that while the landing gear was damaged, it was not yet clear if the aircraft sustained any other damage.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  Scaled Composites statement