Virgin Galactic Unveil New SpaceShipTwo Named Enterprise

Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Enterpirise

British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson unveiled Virgin Galactic’s new SpaceShipTwo spacecraft at the Mojave Spaceport this week.

The world’s first commercial spacecraft is named Enterprise, after the fictional intergalactic vessel in Star Trek.

The Enterprise is expected to begin flights for passengers paying $200,000 (£120,000) each in 18 months’ time. It is expected to pave the way for thousands of space tourists to make the journey over the following few years on daily scheduled trips.

ach voyage will take six passengers and two pilots, on a sub-orbital flight during which they will experience five minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth.

The Enterprise will be carried to an altitude of 11 miles by a twin-hulled mothership called Eve, named after Sir Richard’s mother.

It will then release and fire its own hybrid rocket to propel it into space, accelerating to 2,500mph and soaring to 65 miles above the Earth. After hitting the top of its trajectory, the 22-yard-long ship will fall back to Earth, gliding the last part of the way before landing much like a plane.

Posted on December 10, 2009 | Filed Under Tech