VIRGIN SHOWS OFF SPACESHIP

07 Dec 2009

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 SIR Richard Branson and SpaceshipOne designer, Burt Rutan, have revealed SpaceShipTwo. SS2 has been designed to take many thousands of private astronauts into space after test programming and government licensing has been completed.

The unveiling represents another milestone in Virgin Galactic's quest to develop the first commercial space line providing private sector access to space. The spaceship draws on the experience developed during the successful flights of SS1 in 2004, which won the Ansari X-Prize for completing the world's first manned private space flights.

The SS2 design will be refined and completed during an extensive test flying program to commence shortly, and it will be an entirely new vehicle capable of carrying up to 6 passenger astronauts and up to 2 pilot astronauts into space on a sub-orbital flight.

Commenting on the unveiling, Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic said: "This is truly a momentous day. The team has created not only a world first but also a work of art. The unveil of SS2 takes the Virgin Galactic vision to the next level and continues to provide tangible evidence that this ambitious project is not only moving rapidly, but also making tremendous progress towards our goal of safe commercial operation".

www.virgingalactic.com

 

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