WhiteKnightTwo Space Plane - Getting Ready for Space Tourism

Hopefully this is the start of real commercialization of space. Only when companies are making profits in space will we generate the infrastructure required for humans to eventually live off-planet full-time. Commercial satellites haven't created this yet because it is cheaper to throw them up and let them fall when they're no longer of use - people need a bit more coddling than that.

Virgin Galactic Unveils WhiteKnightTwo Space Plane:
"The Virgin Galactic company today unveiled the WhiteKnightTwo, a new class of carrier airplane that will help loft space tourists beyond Earth's atmosphere.

The first plane in the WhiteKnightTwo class was christened EVE in honor of Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson's mother, who performed the official naming ceremony this morning at the Mojave Air and Spaceport in California.
. . .
WhiteKnightTwo will ferry the not-yet-unveiled SpaceShipTwo crafts, six-passenger versions of the original SpaceShipOne, up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) above Earth.

The passenger ship is then launched from the underside of WhiteKnightTwo to continue its ascent to the very edge of space—about 65 miles (104 kilometers) above Earth—under its own power. SpaceShipTwo crafts make the return trip to Earth unaided."

Scaled Composites White Knight Two - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"The Scaled Composites Model 348 White Knight Two (WK2) is a jet-powered carrier aircraft which will be used to launch the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. It was developed by Scaled Composites as the first stage of Tier 1b, a two-stage to suborbital-space manned launch system. WK2 is based on the successful mothership to SpaceShipOne,White Knight, which itself is based on Proteus.

Virgin Galactic has two WK2's on order.[1] Together WK2 and SS2 form the basis for Virgin Galactic's fleet of suborbital spaceplanes. The first two WK2s will be named after Steve Fossett (Spirit of Steve Fossett)[2], a close friend of Richard Branson, and Richard's mother Eve (Eve)[3]."

They've slipped the estimated roll out date based on the September 2006 article below, but compared to other historic projects, they're not doing badly.

SPACE.com -- Virgin Galactic Unveils SpaceShipTwo Interior Concept:
"NEW YORK - Future passengers aboard Virgin Galactic spaceliners can look forward to cushioned reclining seats and lots of windows during suborbital flights aboard SpaceShipTwo, a concept interior of which was unveiled by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson Thursday.

'It won't be much different than this,' Branson told reporters here at Wired Magazine's NextFest forum. 'It's strange to think that in 12 months we'll be unveiling the actual plane, and then test flights will commence right after that.'
. . .
The air-launched SpaceShipTwo is designed to seat eight people - six passengers and two pilots - and be hauled into launch position by WhiteKnightTwo, a massive carrier craft currently under construction by Scaled Composites, Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn said.

For an initial ticket price of $200,000, Virgin Galactic passengers will buy a 2.5-hour flight aboard SpaceShipTwo and launch from an altitude of about 60,000 feet (18,288 meters), while buckled safely in seats that recline flat after reaching suborbital space. A flight animation depicted passengers clad in their own personal spacesuits as they reached a maximum altitude of at least 68 miles (110 kilometers).

While the spacesuit designs are not yet final, they will likely be equipped with personal data and image recorders to add to SpaceShipTwo's in-cabin cameras, Whitehorn said.

"If it was ready next week, I'd be there," Alan Watts, who has traded in two million Virgin Atlantic frequent flyer miles for a ride on SpaceShipTwo, told SPACE.com. "I'm really looking forward to it.""