Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan unveiled models of WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo this week. The vehicles will be the workhorses of Virgin Galactic, which will take tourists to the edge of space in suborbital flights, perhaps beginning next year. Test flights of the vehicles will begin this summer.
WhiteKnightTwo, which will carry SpaceShipTwo to altitude, will be a substantial aircraft. With a wingspan rivaling a B-29, the twin=cabin jet will also be able to launch small satellites into orbit, giving VG another revenue stream.
SpaceShipTwo will carry two pilots and six passengers-- more people than the typical shuttle crew-- and will feature large windows and a cabin comparable in size to that of a Gulfstream jet. During the few minutes of weightlessness on each flight, the passengers will be able to leave their seats and float around the cabin as they drink in the view. Passengers will wear pressure suits as a safety measure.
Rutan estimates that SpaceShipTwo will be about as safe as 1930s airliners were. That's not bad. Those planes established regular air travel as safe and routine enough to bring in business travelers and tourists. Branson and Rutan are betting on being able to do much the same thing in the years ahead.
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