VSS Enterprise

[Christmas Tree 4919]

The world's first would-be commercial spaceship has taken to the skies for a successful debut test flight.

 

 

Sir Richard Branson wants his VSS Enterprise to be the first craft to blast amateur astronauts up through the stratosphere and into orbit.

 

The six-passenger ship belonging to aspiring space tourism operator Virgin Galactic was airlifted over the Mojave Desert in California.

 

It remained attached to the mothership White Knight Two throughout the 174-minute flight.

 

Virgin Galactic, part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, has collected about £30m in deposits and fares from more than 330 amateur astronauts.

 

"Watching VSS Enterprise fly for the first time really brings home what beautiful, ground-breaking vehicles Burt (Rutan, the designer) and his team have developed for us," space enthusiast Sir Richard said in a statement.

 

In the future, WK2 will carry SpaceshipTwo to an altitude of around 50,000ft (16kms) before dropping the smaller spaceship and allowing it to fire up its rocket motor to launch into space.

 

Each "astronaut" will be charged £133,000 to experience a few minutes of suborbital spaceflight.

 

Virgin Galactic aims to become the world's first commercial company to sell space tourism.

 

It is carrying out test flights in 2010-2011 and aims to be on course to take paying passengers in 2012.

 

 

Looks pretty good and didnt quite expect this to be up there so quick. Guess it will be the new celeb plaything.

 

No doubt Jordan will christen it.

[Guest alex]

Not having a dig because I think it would be amazing but it's basically just like what stuff like the X-1 etc. did absolutely fucking years ago with it being a sub-orbital flight, so it's perhaps not surprising he's gotten off the ground so quickly, if you'll excuse the awful pun.

[Park Life 71]

Branco has lost the plot.

[Guest alex]

I thought that when he went to Boro.

[Rob W 0]

Not having a dig because I think it would be amazing but it's basically just like what stuff like the X-1 etc. did absolutely fucking years ago with it being a sub-orbital flight, so it's perhaps not surprising he's gotten off the ground so quickly, if you'll excuse the awful pun.

 

 

this true but Branson is trying to make it accessible to people other than test pilots - in the same way that Concorde just did much the same as the B-58 but instead of 3 highly trained USAF crew it would carry children, grannies and people like me.................. :icon_lol: