SpaceShipTwo renamed to VSS Enterprise

SpaceShipTwo got a new name – VSS Enterprise at California’s Mojave Air and Space Port.

SpaceShipTwo (SS2) is a suborbital spaceplane for carrying space tourists, under development by The Spaceship Company, a joint venture between Scaled Composites and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, as part of the Tier 1b program. The spaceship was officially unveiled to the public in December 2009, at the Mojave Air and Spaceport in California.

History

In August 2005, the president of space tourism company Virgin Galactic stated that if the suborbital service with SpaceShipTwo is successful, the follow-up SpaceShipThree will be an orbital craft.

On September 28, 2006, Sir Richard Branson unveiled a mock-up of the SpaceShipTwo passenger cabin at the NextFest exposition, in the Javits Convention Center, New York.

The design of the vehicle was revealed to the press in January 2008, with the statement that the vehicle itself was around 60% complete. The launch customer of SpaceShipTwo is Virgin Galactic, which will have the first five units, and exclusive craft rights for the first few years.

Following 50–100 test flights, the first paying customers are expected to fly aboard the craft in 2011. Refining the projected schedule in late 2009, Virgin Galactic has declined to announce a firm schedule for commercial flights, but did reiterate that initial flights would take place from Spaceport America. Commercialty will be based on a “safety-driven schedule” but they hope to achieve it “within two years.” In addition to making suborbital passenger launches, Virgin Galactic will market SpaceShipTwo for suborbital space science missions.

The unveiling and rollout of SpaceShipTwo occured on 7 December 2009.

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