SpaceShipTwo & White Knight 2 revealed!

[Dr Mordrid]

SS2 (aka: VSS Enterprise) looks quite a bit different than the concept photos, but for the better.

White Knight 2 (aka: EVE) follows the outline Rutan discussed before; pilots and flight "trainees" in one of WK's dual cabins, and joyriders in the other with SS2 in the middle & 4 engines.

There's a flash animation of what a flight would be like on Virgin Galactics site here:

http://www.virgingalactic.com/flash.html

DAMNED pretty system IMO. I wanna goooo.......

Also; Rutan and Branson said long ago that eventually they want to provide world wide point-to-point passenger service with a follow-up spaceship. I wouldn't bet against men such as these.









And last, but not least, Galactic Girl - their new "nose art"

[Dr Mordrid]

BTW: LARGE versions of many of these pics, plus a few others, are available here;

http://virgingalactic.com/pressftp/

[Jammrock]

Pretty. Now I just need $20k to get a seat.

[Tjalfe]

you mean, $20K as the down payment for the $200K ticket

[Dr Mordrid]

For the early birds, yes. It's always been known that as the construction investment is made up the ticket prices will come down. Should happen fast with as many SS2's as they want to build: 50+

SS2-1/VSS Enterprise is said to be 60% complete and will start flight tests later this year.

SS2-2/(supposedly VSS Voyager) probably won't be built until SS2-1 is finished. If all goes well after that it's on to mass production.

I also understand Scaled Composites (Rutans company) has been approached by several aerospace companies wanting to license the White Knights wing design. Apparently it's ultra-light but provides enormous amounts of lift.