Virgin Galactic Unveils WhiteKnightTwo

July 28th, 2008 by BallerRide No Comments

White Knight Two

Earlier today, Sir Richard Branson and SpaceShipOne designer, Burt Rutan, rolled out the new WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft for testing in the Mojave Desert this September. Designed to carry Virgin Atlantic space tourists on the first leg of their suborbital journey (before launching off on the second leg in SpaceShipTwo), the WK2 will hold six passengers and two pilots, with each passenger receiving a window seat.

Christened “EVE” in honor of Branson’s mom, WK2 is the world’s largest all carbon composite aircraft, sporting a 140-foot wingspan. And many of the parts on the WK2 have been built using composite materials for the first time. The vehicle has a maximum altitude over 50,000 ft. and its U.S. coast-to-coast range will allow the spaceship to be ferried on long duration flights.

Buzz Aldrin, Branson’s parents, and 100 fully-booked passengers were among the crowd in the Mojave to witness the unveiling. Each of the first 100 passengers dropped $200,000 a piece to be reserve a seat on the first batch of Virgin Galactic voyages, with 65,000 people applying in total for the spots. All told, 270 reservations have been taken.

Ticket prices for the 2.5-hour flights are expected to drop down to $20,000 in the near future, making the flight at least a little more affordable for the masses.