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[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/11/space-tourism.html, Spacecraft factory to break ground in Mojave], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 2010-11-08, accessed 2010-11-09.</ref> These are the aircraft to be built after the initial prototypes of each craft are built by [[Scaled Composites]].
[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/11/space-tourism.html, Spacecraft factory to break ground in Mojave], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 2010-11-08, accessed 2010-11-09.</ref> These are the aircraft to be built after the initial prototypes of each craft are built by [[Scaled Composites]].


The first White Knight Two is named [[VMS Eve|VMS ''Eve'']] after [[Richard Branson]]'s mother; it was officially unveiled on July 28, 2008, and flew for the first time on December 21, 2008. The second is expected to be named [[VMS Spirit of Steve Fossett|VMS ''Spirit of Steve Fossett'']] after Branson's close friend [[Steve Fossett]], who died in an aircraft accident in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Ari |last=Burack |url=http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=5903 |title=Sir Richard Branson... |accessdate=2008-02-28 |publisher=''San Francisco Sentinel'' |date=10 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://newsfromrussia.com/news/science/23-01-2008/103605-spacecraft-0 |title=Spaceship Company unveils design of SpaceShipTwo |accessdate=2008-01-25 |date=2008-01-23 |publisher=''[[Pravda Online]]''}}</ref>
The first White Knight Two is named [[VMS Eve|VMS ''Eve'']] after [[Richard Branson]]'s mother; it was officially unveiled on July 28, 2008, and flew for the first time on December 21, 2008. The second is expected to be named VMS Spirit of Steve Fossett after Branson's close friend [[Steve Fossett]], who died in an aircraft accident in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Ari |last=Burack |url=http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=5903 |title=Sir Richard Branson... |accessdate=2008-02-28 |publisher=''San Francisco Sentinel'' |date=10 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://newsfromrussia.com/news/science/23-01-2008/103605-spacecraft-0 |title=Spaceship Company unveils design of SpaceShipTwo |accessdate=2008-01-25 |date=2008-01-23 |publisher=''[[Pravda Online]]''}}</ref>


==Design==
==Design==

Revision as of 18:22, 11 April 2011

White Knight Two
Maiden flight of VMS Eve on December 21, 2008
Role Carrier aircraft
National origin United States
Designer Burt Rutan and Bob Morgan[1]
First flight December 21, 2008
Developed from Scaled Composites White Knight
Variants VMS Eve
White Knight Two at its rollout and christening ceremony on July 28, 2008
VMS Eve's nose art
PW308 used on the White Knight Two
Richard Branson in the cockpit

The Scaled Composites Model 348 White Knight Two (WK2) is a jet-powered cargo aircraft which will be used to launch the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. It is being 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 ordered two White Knight Twos.[2] Together WK2 and SS2 form the basis for Virgin Galactic's fleet of suborbital spaceplanes.

As of November 2010, The Spaceship Company has announced that it plans to build at least three additional WhiteKnightTwo aircraft and an additional five SpaceShipTwo rocket planes.[3] These are the aircraft to be built after the initial prototypes of each craft are built by Scaled Composites.

The first White Knight Two is named VMS Eve after Richard Branson's mother; it was officially unveiled on July 28, 2008, and flew for the first time on December 21, 2008. The second is expected to be named VMS Spirit of Steve Fossett after Branson's close friend Steve Fossett, who died in an aircraft accident in 2007.[4][5]

Design

White Knight Two is roughly three times larger than White Knight, in order to perform a captive carry with the larger SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. The WK2 is similar in wingspan to a B-29 Superfortress.[6] Despite that comparison, White Knight Two is a thoroughly modern aircraft - even the flight control cables are constructed of carbon fiber, using a new patented design.[7]

WK2 will provide preview flights offering several seconds of weightlessness, before the actual suborbital event. It is intended to have a service ceiling of about 60,000 ft (18 km), offering a dark blue sky to passengers. This will allow tourists to practice before the real flight.[8]

White Knight Two consists of a twin boom with two jet engines per hull.[9] One hull is an exact replica of that of SpaceShipTwo (to allow tourist training), and the other will carry 'cut-rate' day-trippers into the stratosphere.[10]

The design is quite different from the White Knight, both in size, use of tail, engine configuration and placement of cockpit(s). The White Knight uses two T-tails, but the White Knight Two uses two cruciform tails. Engine configuration is also very different. White Knight Two has four engines hung underneath the wings on pylons while White Knight's pair of engines are on either side of its single fuselage.

Timeline of commercial introduction

Virgin Galactic contracted aerospace designer Burt Rutan to build the mothership and spacecraft.[11][12]

  • On January 23, 2008 the White Knight Two design was revealed.[13]
  • On July 28, 2008 the completion and rollout of the first aircraft, Eve, (Tail Number: N348MS[14]) occurred at Scaled's Mojave headquarters. Branson predicted that the maiden space voyage would take place in 18 months: "It represents... the chance for our ever-growing group of future astronauts and other scientists to see our world in a completely new light."
  • On March 22, 2010 the VSS Enterprise completed its maiden "captive carry" voyage of 2 hours and 54 minutes, ascending to an altitude of 45,000 feet (13716 meters).[15]

The launch customer of White Knight Two is Virgin Galactic, which will have the first two units, and exclusive rights to the craft for the first few years.

Flight test program

Main article: VMS_Eve § Flight_test_program

The initial flight tests were planned to begin in early September 2008.,[16][17][18] but they were delayed.[19]

An extensive flight test program of VMS Eve, with nearly twenty flights between December, 2008, and August, 2009, was undertaken to validate the design and gradually expand the aircraft operating envelope.[20][21] The flight tests were complete by September, 2009, and testing with SpaceShipTwo began in early 2010.[22]

Aircraft specifications

Data from [23]

General characteristics

Performance

References

  1. ^ "WK2 Rollout Audio Clips (parts 4 & 6)". Movaje Skies. 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  2. ^ Malik, Tariq (2008-01-23). "Virgin Galactic Unveils Suborbital Spaceliner Design". SPACE.com. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Spacecraft factory to break ground in Mojave, Los Angeles Times, 2010-11-08, accessed 2010-11-09.
  4. ^ Burack, Ari (10 October 2007). "Sir Richard Branson..." San Francisco Sentinel. Retrieved 2008-02-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Spaceship Company unveils design of SpaceShipTwo". Pravda Online. 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Something dangerous and new". thespacereview.com. August 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
  7. ^ David, Leonard. "Virgin Galactic Spaceline: Mega-Mothership Set for Rollout Debut". Space.com June 6, 2008
  8. ^ Leonard David (11 August 2006). "Burt Rutan on Civilian Spaceflight, Breakthroughs, and Inside SpaceShipTwo". Space.com. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  9. ^ Kenny Kemp (2007). Destination Space. Virgin Books. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Spencer Reiss (May 22, 2007). "Burt Rutan and Richard Branson Want You to Hit Space in High Style". Wired.com. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  11. ^ bbc.co.uk, Branson unveils space tourism jet
  12. ^ space.newscientist.com, Virgin Galactic rolls out SpaceShipTwo's 'mothership'
  13. ^ New Scientist Space and Reuters (23 January 2008). "Virgin Galactic unveils model of SpaceShipTwo". New Scientist. Retrieved 8 December 2009. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ "FAA N Number Registration for "Eve"". Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  15. ^ "First flight for SpaceShipTwo". Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  16. ^ "2008 AirVenture Oshkosh schedule". Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  17. ^ Leonard David (June 6, 2008). "Virgin Galactic Spaceline: Mega-Mothership Set for Rollout Debut". SPACE.com. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  18. ^ Forbes: Interview with Branson, 16 Oct 2008
  19. ^ "Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two first flight delayed to year's end". Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  20. ^ http://www.personalspaceflight.info/
  21. ^ Scaled Composites, "White Knight Two Flight Test Summaries" (accessed 2009-10-01)
  22. ^ "Scaled plans 50,000ft WhiteKnight Two flight by September". Flight International. Reed Business Information. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  23. ^ Will Whitehorn and Alex Tai (2007-07-22). "Virgin Galactic presentation Oshkosh Theater in the Woods 2007". BrightCove.TV. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  24. ^ a b Rob Coppinger (9 December 2008). "Virgin Galactic in SpaceShipThree talks". Flightglobal. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  25. ^ Will Whitehorn (2009-10-27). International Astronautical Congress 2009: Civilian Access to Space (video, comments at c. 9:00). Daejeon, Korea: Flightglobal Hyperbola, Rob Coppinger.
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