Virgin Galactic’s Private Spaceship Ramping Up Toward Passenger Flights Image: The first WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo launch system has undergone extensive tests. Next to come are critical rocket-powered flights of the two-pilot, six-passenger spaceship. Credit: TSC This year is key for Virgin Galactic’s bid to become the first commercial spaceliner service, as rocket-powered flights of its SpaceShipTwo are on the books for summer. Meanwhile, assembly of a second vehicle pair — the WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane and another SpaceShipTwo suborbital space plane — is in progress at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Details of this year’s Virgin Galactic milestones were highlighted by George Whitesides, chief executive officer and president of Virgin Galactic, at a Jan. 20 meeting here of The Aerospace & Defense Forum (Los Angeles Chapter).

Virgin Galactic’s Private Spaceship Ramping Up Toward Passenger Flights

Image: The first WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo launch system has undergone extensive tests. Next to come are critical rocket-powered flights of the two-pilot, six-passenger spaceship. Credit: TSC

This year is key for Virgin Galactic’s bid to become the first commercial spaceliner service, as rocket-powered flights of its SpaceShipTwo are on the books for summer.

Meanwhile, assembly of a second vehicle pair — the WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane and another SpaceShipTwo suborbital space plane — is in progress at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

Details of this year’s Virgin Galactic milestones were highlighted by George Whitesides, chief executive officer and president of Virgin Galactic, at a Jan. 20 meeting here of The Aerospace & Defense Forum (Los Angeles Chapter).