The Hindu Business Line : Virgin Galactic to launch spaceships in two years

VIRGIN Galactic, set up to offer space tourist flights, will have its spaceships ready for flying in the next two to two-and-a-half years, Sir Richard Branson said here on Thursday.

The company, part of Branson's Virgin Group, was to own and operate privately built spaceships modelled on SpaceShipOne, which had formally won the $10-million Ansari X Prize in October 2004, flying into space for the third time, reaching 3,68,000 feet. It was the first manned private vehicle beyond the earth's atmosphere.

The craft was funded by Microsoft's co-founder, Mr Paul G. Allen, and built by acclaimed aerospace engineer and CEO of Scaled Composites, Mr Burt Rutan. Mr Allen had formed Mojave Aerospace Ventures to make SpaceShipOne.

In September 2004, Sir Richard and Mr Rutan announced in London that Virgin had signed a deal to licence SpaceShipOne's technology to build the world's first private spaceship for a commercial operating service. According to one press report, the $21.5-million deal with Mojave Aerospace Ventures (it owns the rights to SpaceShipOne) allows Virgin to make five versions of the initial prototype craft. It added that Virgin plans to spend $100 million on developing the craft's new version.

Replying to a question on whether the design of Virgin's spaceship, the VSS Enterprise, had been finalised, Sir Richard said that metal cutting for the craft had begun and it should be possible to fly within two to two-and-a-half years.

While both SpaceShipOne and the craft proposed for Virgin Galactic fall in the sub-orbital category, there had been speculation of Mr Rutan being interested in an orbital category vehicle. It is widely held that the full potential of space tourism can be realised only with orbital spaceships, as sub-orbital ones typically restrict the feel of space to a limited period. Sir Branson said the sub-orbital craft was chosen for safety reasons. However, if an orbital spaceship proves capable of offering travel at price levels similar to those of the currently proposed sub-orbital craft, then it could be looked into.

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