Los Angeles - British tycoon Richard Branson on Monday unveiled a futuristic aircraft that would ferry tourists to the edge of heaven as part of Virgin Galactic's much-anticipated space programme.
The aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo, was rolled out for invited guests and the media at an early morning ceremony in the Mojave desert, north of Los Angeles, at the headquarters of aerospace firm Scaled Composites.
The high-altitude aircraft - also named "Eve" in honour of Branson's mother - will act as the mothership for the spacecraft Spaceship Two, which in turn will launch in midair and send two crew members and six passengers into space. The first flights are expected to take place later this year, with Spaceship Two being attached for a maiden flight some time in 2009.
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Virgin Galactic is hoping to send its first paying customers into suborbital space about 110km above the Earth in 2010. The company has said that more than 200 passengers have already signed up for the first flights, which will cost $200 000 (R1,5-million) each.
WhiteKnightTwo boasts a wingspan of 43m and is the world's largest carbon composite aircraft. With a maximum altitude of more than 15 240m, the twin-fuselage craft will be able to support up to four daily space flights.
"We are naming it 'Eve' after my mother, but also because it represents a chance for our future astronauts to see our world in a completely new light," said Branson. - Sapa-AFP
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This article was originally published on page 8 of The Mercury on July 29, 2008
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