Before the original prototypes of SpaceShipOne and WhiteKnightOne, space launch technology had remained largely unchanged since its earliest days, without the benefit of much private sector innovation, funding or competition and was closely tied to military capabilities and the world’s super powers.

After the history making flights of SpaceShipOne in 2004, Virgin Galactic was born and work started on creating the world’s first commercial spaceline. Based on the prototypes, the second generation of Virgin Galactic spacecraft has been designed to provide the ultimate space flight experience.

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo shares much of the same basic design and technology as SpaceShipOne but goes a stage further by meeting safety and comfort levels necessary to enable a wide diversity of passengers to become astronauts without specialist skills or experience.  This is the first time that a spaceship has been built with these considerations at the forefront of the design and construction process.

Carbon Composite Construction

• Scaled Composites, the company responsible for the design and development of both WhiteknightOne and Two and SpaceShipOne and Two, builds its vehicles with the maximum use of composite construction techniques.  Carbon fibre composite is an extraordinary material; four times the strength of steel and a quarter of its weight, meaning less energy is required to propel both vehicles.
• Light and strong, it also has a virtually unlimited fatigue life; as long as the stresses are kept below the ultimate, it does not deteriorate in use in the same way that metal fatigues. It is also easy to modify additional pieces.
• Scaled Composite’s unique understanding of carbon composite construction techniques in aerospace design is fundamental to the safer by design philosophy that has been central to the Virgin Galactic project.
• Burt Rutan, an American aerospace engineer, legendary spacecraft designer and founder of Scaled Composites, gave Virgin the reassurance it needed to takes things to the next stage with his innovative design, which revolutionised safety in space travel and ensured the safe X-Prize winning space flights during 2004.
• The use of an air release coupled with a controllable hybrid rocket engine offers many system back-ups.  The unique ‘feathered’ re-entry technology, relying on the laws of physics as opposed to human judgment or computers, slows the spacecraft so that re-entry is relatively care free and always at the correct angle.
• The spaceship can be thought of as an air released glider with a rocket motor and extra systems for space flight. Just like any conventional flying machine, it requires aerodynamic forces to provide stability and control which it only has whilst in the atmosphere.  In space the force of gravity gradually slows the spaceship before pulling it back towards Earth. During this period the pilots are able to manoeuvre the vehicle to provide a changing view.
• SpaceShipTwo is powered by a hybrid rocket motor. This type of system is not a new idea but offers important safety and environmental advantages over liquid or solid systems more commonly used on manned space vehicles. In particular, it means that the pilots will be able to shut down the SpaceShipTwo rocket motor at any time during its operation and glide safely back to the runway.

WhiteKnightTwo

• The first WhiteKnightTwo, christened VMS Eve after Richard Branson’s mother, is the largest all-composite aircraft ever built and the most fuel efficient aircraft of its size. It has a unique capability to carry heavy payload (around 35,000 lbs) to high altitude (around 50,000ft) and a range of over 2,000 nautical miles. Remarkably for a vehicle of its size, it is also capable of performing high and zero G manoeuvres.

 SpaceShipTwo

• SpaceShipTwo uses all the same basic technology, construction and design as SpaceShipOne yet it is around twice as large and will carry six passengers and two pilots.
• Strong Composite Materials - SpaceShipTwo is made of composite materials to give the craft a huge amount of strength while remaining incredibly lightweight.
• 50,000ft Air Release - an air release minimises fuel use and increases safety.
• Feathered Re-entry - the aerodynamics of SpaceShipTwo’s pivoted wings act like a shuttlecock, slowing and controlling the spaceship’s re-entry.
• Glide back to spaceport - a conventional runway landing eliminates the need for parachutes and splashdowns.