The pioneering Scaled Composites products delivering space travel

Virgin Galactic lead the world in the pursuit of affordable space travel. The hardware behind the vision is developed and manufactured by a company called Scaled Composites in Mojave, California. Here is an introduction to the vehicles that will be used by Virgin Galactic to deliver the first commercially viable space flights to the consumer.

Virgin Mothership Eve

Codenamed Whiteknight Two, this spacecraft is the launch platform for the space craft itself. Named after the founder, Sir Richard Branson's mother, Eve is the largest all carbon composite aviation vehicle built and the most fuel efficient of it's size. Virgin Galactic say that it has a unique capability to carry heavy payload (around35,000lbs) to high altitude (around 50,000ft) and a range of over 2,000 nautical miles.

Spaceship Two

The precursor to Spaceship Two was Spaceship One, the winner of the coveted "X" Prize. Powered by a hybrid rocket motor which offers important safety and environmental advantages over liquid or solid systems, Spaceship Two is around twice the size of Spaceship One and capable of carrying six passengers and two pilots. Each passenger gets the same seating position with an overhead window and a side window.