The Spaceship Company
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | Mojave, California (2005) |
| Headquarters | Mojave, California[1] |
| Key people | Burt Rutan and Richard Branson (founders) |
| Products | spacecraft production[1] |
| Employees | 70 (July 2011)[2] |
| Website | The Spaceship Company |
The Spaceship Company (also known as TSC) is a spacecraft manufacturing company formed by Burt Rutan and Richard Branson in mid-2005, jointly owned by Virgin Group and Scaled Composites, which will own the technology created by Scaled for Virgin Galactic's Virgin SpaceShip program. This includes developments on the care-free reentry[3] system and cantilevered-hybrid rocket motor, licensed from Paul Allen and Burt Rutan's Mojave Aerospace. The company will manufacture Virgin Galactic's spacecraft and will sell spacecraft to other buyers.[2] The suborbital launch system offered will include the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft and the White Knight Two carrier aircraft.[4]
The company has announced plans to build three WhiteKnightTwo aircraft and five SpaceShipTwo rocket planes.[5]
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[edit] Business approach
The launch customer for the company and SS2/WK2 will be Virgin Galactic, having placed an order for five SpaceShipTwos and two WhiteKnightTwos,[6] with "exclusive use of the systems for the initial 18 months of commercial passenger operations."[7] TSC will have responsibility for the manufacture of the second WK2 aircraft and the second through fifth SS2 spacecraft for Virgin Galactic, and hopes to build many more as other customers for the vehicles emerge.[2]
[edit] Spaceship construction
In March 2010, following the construction of the initial prototypes of WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo by Scaled Composites, The Spaceship Company is currently moving the aircraft and spacecraft into commercial production.[8]
[edit] Production facility
In November 2010, TSC broke ground on a new 68,000-square-foot (6,300 m2) aircraft assembly plant at Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California. Expected completion is September 2011. The manufacturing facility is expected to employ "up to 170 people when production is in full swing."[5]
As of July 2011[update], TSC remains on schedule to begin production of "the first sections for a second WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft along with the first of multiple SpaceShipTwo (SS2) suborbital vehicles for Virgin Galactic and, ultimately, other customers" in the "Final Assembly, Integration and Test Hangar" (FAITH) in September.[2]
In September, 2011, TSC completed construction of the new plant, on schedule, for US$8,000,000. The production of the new spacecraft—initially three WhiteKnightTwo aircraft and five of the smaller SpaceShipTwo rocket planes—is planned to commence before the end of the month.[9] The FAITH hangar will be used for building the one-piece composite spars and wing for WK2, fuselage lay-up for both WK2 and SS2, and "will also be used for major maintenance and will serve as the company’s operating headquarters."[10]
[edit] References
- ^ a b The SpaceShip Company, Virgin Galactic press release, 2010-01-21, accessed 2010-03-24.
- ^ a b c d Norris, Guy (2011-07-08). "An Inside Look At A New Spaceship Factory". Aviation Week and Space Technology. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/awst/2011/07/11/AW_07_11_2011_p33-344476.xml&headline=An%20Inside%20Look%20At%20A%20New%20Spaceship%20Factory. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
- ^ See section headed "SPACESHIPONE" at the FAQ Page of Scaled Composites' website for more details.
- ^ The Spaceship Company, Products, accessed 2009-10-17[dead link]
- ^ a b Spacecraft factory to break ground in Mojave, Los Angeles Times, 2010-11-08, accessed 2010-11-09.
- ^ "Richard Branson and Burt Rutan Form Spacecraft Building Company". SPACE.com. 2005-07-27. http://www.space.com/news/050727_branson_rutan.html. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ^ "Branson And Rutan Launch New Spaceship Manufacturing Company". ScienceDaily. 2005-07-28. http://www.spacedaily.com/news/spacetravel-05zzzg.html. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ^ Welcome To TSC, The Spaceship Company webpage, accessed 2010-03-24. Quotation: "TSC has contracted Scaled Composites to develop and build prototypes of WK2 and SS2 and TSC is now taking these prototypes into commercial production."
- ^ Hennigan, W.J. (2011-09-20). "Firm completes spacecraft factory in Mojave". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spaceship-factory-20110920,0,855510.story. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
- ^ Norris, Guy (2011-09-24). "SpaceShipTwo Maker Opens For Business". Aviation Week and Space Technology. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/asd/2011/09/21/04.xml&headline=SpaceShipTwo%20Maker%20Opens%20For%20Business&channel=space. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
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- "Branson and Rutan Form 'The Spaceship Company' To Jointly Manufacture and Market Spaceships for the new Sub-Orbital Personal Spaceflight Industry" (Press release). Scaled Composites. July 27, 2005. http://www.scaled.com/news/2005-07-27_branson_rutan_spaceship_company.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
[edit] External links
- The Spaceship Company
- Virgin Galactic video on TSC, as of the opening of the second hangar facility, September, 2011.
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