Mojave Air and Spaceport, California
July 28th 2008
Virgin Founder, Sir Richard Branson and SpaceShipOne designer, Burt Rutan, today pulled back the
hangar doors on the new WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft that will ferry SpaceShipTwo and
thousands of private astronauts, science packages and payload on the first stage of the Virgin
Galactic sub‐orbital space experience.
The rollout represents another major milestone in Virgin Galactic’s quest to launch the world’s first
private, environmentally benign, space access system for people, payload and science.
Christened “EVE” in honor of Sir Richard’s mother, who performed the official naming ceremony,
WK2 is both visually remarkable and represents ground‐breaking aerospace technology. It is the
world’s largest all carbon composite aircraft and many of its component parts have been built using
composite materials for the very first time. At 140 ft, the wing spar is the longest single carbon
composite aviation component ever manufactured.
Driven by a demanding performance specification set by Virgin Galactic, WK2 has a unique heavy lift,
high altitude capability and an open architecture driven design which provides for maximum
versatility in the weight, mass and volume of its payload potential. It has the power, strength and
maneuverability to provide for pre space‐flight, positive G force and zero G astronaut training as well
as a lift capability which is over 30% greater than that represented by a fully crewed SpaceShipTwo.
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.
An all carbon composite vehicle of this size represents a giant leap for a material technology that has
already been identified as a key contributor to the increasingly urgent requirement by the
commercial aviation sector for dramatically more fuel efficient aircraft. Powered by four Pratt and
Whitney PW308A engines, which are amongst the most powerful, economic and efficient available,
WK2 is a mold breaker in carbon efficiency and the epitome of 21st century aerospace design and
technology.
The twin fuselage and central payload area configuration allow for easy access to WK2 and to the
spaceship for passengers and crew; the design also aids operational efficiencies and turnaround
times. WK2 will be able to support up to four daily space flights, is able to carry out both day and
night time operations and is equipped with a package of highly advanced avionics.
Large numbers of VIP’s, media and more than 100 fully signed‐up future Virgin Galactic astronauts
flew into Mojave for the rollout onboard a new Airbus A320 aircraft specially chartered from Virgin
America, the youngest and most efficient US domestic airline, which launched to great acclaim in
2007.
Rutan’s Scaled Composites facility has been strictly out of bounds whilst design and construction has
been underway, but guests today were additionally given a tantalizing preview of SpaceShipTwo,
clearly visible but heavily shrouded and well on its way to completion, in the smaller of Scaled’s two
hangars awaiting its own rollout in 2009. This will be scheduled once WK2 is at the appropriate stage
in its extensive test program, which has already begun with ground tests; it is expected to take its first
flight in the fall of 2008. The flight test program will be comprehensive even before SpaceShipTwo is
carried as a payload for the first time in 2009.
Commenting on the rollout, Burt Rutan, Founder of Scaled Composites said:
“WhiteKnightTwo represents the apogee of the application of carbon composites to aerospace and
all of us at Scaled are tremendously excited at the capabilities of the Mothership for SpaceShipTwo. I
believe the vehicle will be developed and sold for a variety of launch applications beyond the initial
requirements of our launch customer, Virgin Galactic. We have set up a new business jointly with
Virgin, The Spaceship Company (TSC), to develop these vehicles and we very much hope that its
efficiency will herald a wake up call to the aerospace industry and the necessity of using new
materials and technologies in the future. “
Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Galactic added: “As usual, Burt and the Scaled team have created a beauty and this is a very proud day for us all. The
rollout of WhiteKnightTwo takes the Virgin Galactic vision to the next level and continues to provide
tangible evidence that this most ambitious of projects is not only for real but is making tremendous
progress towards our goal of safe commercial operation.
Virgin Galactic is central to our ambition at Virgin to become the world’s leading group in the
operation of energy and environmentally efficient transportation, in the air, on the ground and in
space. We arrived here this morning on an aircraft operated by Virgin America, who run the most fuel
efficient commercial fleet in the US, to roll out what by most definitions, is the most energy efficient
aircraft in history. We are naming it EVE after my Mother, Eve Branson but also because it represents
a first and a new beginning, the chance for our ever growing group of future astronauts and other
scientists and payload specialists to see our world in a completely new light. I for one can’t wait!”
An all carbon composite vehicle of this size represents a giant leap for a material technology that has
already been identified as a key contributor to the increasingly urgent requirement by the
commercial aviation sector for dramatically more fuel efficient aircraft. Powered by four Pratt and
Whitney PW308A engines, which are amongst the most powerful, economic and efficient available,
WK2 is a mold breaker in carbon efficiency and the epitome of 21st century aerospace design and
technology.
The twin fuselage and central payload area configuration allow for easy access to WK2 and to the
spaceship for passengers and crew; the design also aids operational efficiencies and turnaround
times. WK2 will be able to support up to four daily space flights, is able to carry out both day and
night time operations and is equipped with a package of highly advanced avionics.
Large numbers of VIP’s, media and more than 100 fully signed‐up future Virgin Galactic astron
I tried to think of a catchy title using words like “Wow!” or “Amazing” or “Incredible”. First of all those aren’t catchy words; in addition, they are overused; and third, they don’t adequately describe the exhiliration, the awe, and excitement I felt when I first saw Eve. Eve is very young and is the prodigy of Burt Rutan and Bob Morgan. She is sleek, sexy and a Virgin! Despite her youth she is already a mother. Immaculate conception? Hardly!
Who is Eve? Her full name is VMS Eve and she is Virgin Galactic’s new mothership! Introduced in late July to the press and to Astronauts who have already made a reservation to experience Space, Eve and I met on August 15th. As one of the 47 original Accredited Space Agents in the US and 1 of fewer than 100 ASA’s worldwide, Virgin Galactic flew us to Mojave, California to view firsthand the new mothership. By the way, Eve was named after Sir Richard Branson’s mother, Eve!
We landed at Scaled Composites and were greeted and hosted by Burt Rutan, winner of the Ansari X Prize in 2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Rutan. We met Bob Morgan, lead engineer for the project (who, as a young child, lived for a very short time in my home town, Highland Park, Il), several other important team members and Brian Binnie, test pilot, who flew Spaceship1 on her second flight to Space, securing the Ansari X Prize.
In addition to the excitement of watching history in the making, I was struck by the humility of all the team. When Burt, Bob, and Brian did Q & A with us, they talked in plain English. They stressed the team effort and how all participants are familiar with all phases of the design, build, and soon-to-happen testing. I was inspired by the lack of ego and the sense of true community.
I had my picture taken with Eve and as soon as I get it, I’ll post it here! Meanwhile, here are 2 photos—one from the initial rollout in July and one of all of the ASA’s on August 15th!
