Editing Virgin Galactic (section)

==Aircraft and spacecraft==
===Motherships===

====White Knight Two====
[[File:WhiteKnight Two flying.jpg|right|thumb|White Knight Two in the air]]
[[File:Vg-wk2-080728 (148) cr8.jpg|thumbnail|right|White Knight Two on the ground]]
The [[Scaled Composites White Knight Two|White Knight Two]] is a special aeroplane built as the mothership and launch-platform for the spacecraft [[SpaceShipTwo]] and the uncrewed launch vehicle [[LauncherOne]] (LauncherOne never launched from underneath a White Knight Two). The mothership is a large fixed-wing [[aircraft]] with two hulls linked together by a central wing. Two aircraft were planned – [[VMS Eve|VMS ''Eve'']]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newsfromrussia.com/news/science/23-01-2008/103605-spacecraft-0 |title=Spaceship Company unveils design of SpaceShipTwo |access-date=25 January 2008 |date=23 January 2008 |publisher=[[Pravda Online]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080128160739/http://newsfromrussia.com/news/science/23-01-2008/103605-spacecraft-0 |archive-date=28 January 2008 }}</ref> and [[Virgin Galactic Spirit of Steve Fossett|VMS ''Spirit of Steve Fossett'']].<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Branson, Richard |author-link=Richard Branson |url= http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1670216,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071012110851/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1670216,00.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 12 October 2007 |title=My Friend, Steve Fossett |access-date=31 October 2007 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=10 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Ari |last=Burack |url=http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=5903 |title=Sir Richard Branson, black robed as Father Richard for zany party inaugurating Virgin American flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas |access-date=28 February 2008 |publisher=San Francisco Sentinel |date=10 October 2007 |archive-date=9 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709114603/http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=5903 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Nizza |url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/the-legend-of-steve-fossett-takes-root/index.html?ex=1349841600&en=45eab0da4e07992c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |title=The Legend of Steve Fossett Takes Root |date=11 October 2007 |access-date=20 December 2007 |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212225855/http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/the-legend-of-steve-fossett-takes-root/index.html?ex=1349841600&en=45eab0da4e07992c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |archive-date=12 December 2007 }}</ref> On 22 May 2021 Mothership Eve was used to carry VSS ''Unity'' to a launch altitude of 44,000 feet.<ref name="auto"/>

====Boeing 747====
The [[LauncherOne]] system used a [[Boeing 747-400]] aircraft, renamed ''[[Cosmic Girl (aircraft)|Cosmic Girl]]'', which was acquired from [[Virgin Atlantic]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://gizmodo.com/virgin-galactic-announces-new-cosmic-girl-mothership-1746068379 |title= Virgin Galactic Announces New "Cosmic Girl" Mothership That Could Help It Compete With SpaceX |author= Kaila Hale-Stern |date= 3 December 2015 |website= Gizmodo }}</ref><ref>Jumbo for Virgin Galactic ''[[Airliner World]]'' February 2016 page 10</ref> This was spun off into [[Virgin Orbit]] with the [[LauncherOne]] business in 2017.

====Generation II mothership====
{{expand section|when will the first paper design of the Delta spaceplane be publicly shown?  when is the Delta maiden flight expected so the test program can commence?|date=January 2024}}
Virgin Galactic plans to have generation 2 motherships ready for 2025, for the next-generation [[Virgin Galactic Delta|Delta-class]] spaceplanes. In July 2022, Virgin announced it would partner with Boeing's [[Aurora Flight Sciences]] to design and build the next generation of mothership.<ref name=Virgin-20220707> {{cite news |url= https://www.virgin.com/about-virgin/latest/virgin-galactic-announces-boeings-aurora-will-build-new-motherships |title= Virgin Galactic announces Boeing's Aurora will build new motherships |author= Natalie Clarkson |work= Virgin Galactic |publisher= Virgin Group |date= 7 July 2022 }} </ref>{{update after|2024|1|27}}<!-- it is early 2024, 18 months later; any updates on the speculative new mothership?  has any production of even the first flight test article begun? -->

Boeing ended work on the contract in 2023 and has now filed suit against Virgin Galactic over unpaid bills according to a report in SpaceNews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spacenews.com/boeing-sues-virgin-galactic-over-mothership-project/ |title=Boeing sues Virgin Galactic over mothership project |publisher=SpaceNews |date=26 March 2024}}</ref> The lawsuit was settled in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/boeing-virgin-galactic-settle-lawsuit-over-work-virgin-mothership-2024-10-03/ |title=Boeing, Virgin Galactic settle lawsuit over work on Virgin 'mothership' |publisher=Reuters |date=3 October 2024}}</ref>

===Spaceships===

====SpaceShip Two====
{{Main|SpaceShipTwo}}
Richard Branson unveiled the rocket plane on 7 December 2009, announcing that, after testing, the plane would carry fare-paying passengers ticketed for short duration journeys just above the [[Atmosphere of Earth|atmosphere]]. Virgin Group would initially launch from a base in New Mexico before extending operations around the globe. Built from lightweight carbon-composite materials and powered by a hybrid rocket motor, SS2 was based on the [[Ansari X Prize]]-winning SpaceShipOne concept – a rocket plane that was lifted initially by a carrier aircraft before independent launch. SS1 became the world's first private spaceship with a series of high-altitude flights in 2004.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3712998.stm | title= SpaceShipOne rockets to success | work= BBC.co.uk | access-date=2 February 2011 | date=7 October 2005}}</ref>

The programme was delayed after three Scaled Composites employees – Todd Ivens, Eric Blackwell and Charles May – were killed in an accident in Mojave on 26 July 2007, where the detonation of a tank of nitrous oxide destroyed a test stand.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.newspacejournal.com/2014/01/26/new-branson-bio-examines-delays-and-other-problems-with-virgin-galactic/| title= New Branson bio examines delays and other problems with Virgin Galactic|access-date=26 January 2014}}</ref> They had been observing the test from behind a chain-link fence that offered no protection from the shrapnel and debris when the tank exploded. Three other employees were injured in the blast and the company was fined for breaches of health and safety rules. The cause of the accident has never been made public.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/11218595/Virgin-Galactic-crash-Dont-let-more-die-Richard-Branson-told.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141109121947/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/11218595/Virgin-Galactic-crash-Dont-let-more-die-Richard-Branson-told.html| url-status= dead| archive-date= 9 November 2014| title= 'Don't let more die', Richard Branson told |publisher=London Daily Telegraph |access-date=8 November 2014}}</ref>

The successor to SS1, SS2 was twice as large, measuring 18&nbsp;m (60&nbsp;ft) in length; whereas SpaceShipOne could carry a single pilot and two passengers, SS2 was planned to have a crew of two and room for six passengers. By August 2013, 640 customers had signed up for a flight,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/15/travel/virgin-galactic-250000-ticket-to-space |title=What does a $250,000 ticket to space with Virgin Galactic actually buy you? |author=Carrington, Daisy  |date=16 August 2013 |access-date=17 August 2013 |publisher=CNN.com}}</ref> initially at a ticket price of $200,000 per person, but raised to $250,000 in May 2013.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.space.com/20886-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-ticket-prices.html | title= Ticket Price for Private Spaceflights on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Going Up |author=Wall, Mike |date=30 April 2013 | work= Space.com | access-date=17 August 2013}}</ref> Tickets were available from more than 140 "space agents" worldwide.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-xpm-2013-may-02-la-trb-virgin-galactic-ticket-sales-20130429-story.html |title=Want a ticket to space? Virgin Galactic agents are standing  |author=Forgione, Mary  |date=2 May 2013 |access-date=3 September 2013 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

=====SpaceShipTwo's projected performance=====
{{more citations needed|section|date=March 2021}}
SpaceShipTwo was designed to fly to a height of 110&nbsp;km,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-10-31/what-is-virgin-galactics-spaceshiptwo |title=What is Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo? |date=31 October 2014 |publisher=ITV |quote=It was designed to be carried 15km into the air by the WhiteKnightTwo jet and then released by the mothership, whereupon a rocket motor ignites to fire the craft to an altitude of 110km, before it returns to Earth as a glider.}}</ref> going beyond the defined [[Kármán line|boundary of space]] (100&nbsp;km) and lengthening the experience of weightlessness for its passengers. The spacecraft would reach a top speed of 4000&nbsp;km/h (2485&nbsp;mph). On 23 May 2014, Virgin Galactic announced that they had abandoned use of the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) nitrous-oxide-rubber motor for SpaceShipTwo;<ref name="Virgin Galactic">{{cite web|title=Virgin Galactic Rocket Motor Milestone|url=http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/virgin-galactic-rocket-motor-milestone/|access-date=23 May 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140526060112/http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/virgin-galactic-rocket-motor-milestone/|archive-date=26 May 2014}}</ref> on 24 July 2014, SNC confirmed that they had also abandoned use of this motor for their [[Dream Chaser]] space shuttle.<ref name="SNC abandons hybrid motor">{{cite web|title=SNC abandons own hybrid motors on Dream Chaser|date=19 August 2014|url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/08/19/snc-abandons-hybrid-motors-dream-chaser/|access-date=19 August 2014|archive-date=16 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316164838/http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/08/19/snc-abandons-hybrid-motors-dream-chaser/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Future testing was to see SpaceShipTwo powered by a polyamide grain powered motor. As of July 2021 the maximum height reached has been 89.9&nbsp;km.<ref>{{cite tweet |number=1099001460027645952 |user=virgingalactic |title=SpaceShipTwo reached an apogee of: 55.87miles 295,007ft 89.9km |date=22 February 2019}}</ref>

In honor of the science-fiction series ''[[Star Trek]]'', the first ship was named after the fictional starship ''Enterprise''. To reenter the atmosphere, SpaceShipTwo folded its wings and then returned them to their original position for an unpowered descent flight back onto the runway. The craft had a very limited cross-range capability, and until other planned spaceports would be built worldwide, it had to land in the area where it started. Further spaceports were planned in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere, with the intention that the spaceline would have a worldwide availability and commodity in the future.

There was a series of delays to the SS2 flight test vehicle becoming operational, amidst repeated assurances from Virgin Galactic marketing that operational flights were only a year or two out. The ''Wall Street Journal'' reported in November 2014 that there has been "tension between Mr. Branson's upbeat projections and the persistent hurdles that challenged the company's hundreds of technical experts."<ref name=wsj20141113/> The company responded that "the company and its contractors 'have internal milestones, such as schedule estimates and goals, but the companies are driven by safety and the completion of the flight test program before moving into commercial service.' Virgin Galactic's schedules have always been consistent with internal schedules of its contractors and changes have 'never impacted flight safety'."<!-- the source that follows is detailing an operational schism within the company, and between the marketing side of the company and public pronouncements; although it seems to be published in the wake of the accident, it is not tying the criticism to the accident directly except with unnamed sources --><ref name="wsj20141113">
{{cite news |last1=Pasztor|first1=Andy |title=Problems Plagued Virgin Galactic Rocket Ship Long Before Crash |url=https://online.wsj.com/articles/problems-plagued-virgin-galactic-rocket-ship-long-before-crash-1415838171 |access-date=2014-11-14 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=2014-11-13 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

====SpaceShip III====
{{main|SpaceShip III}}

SpaceShip III was an evolved version of SpaceShipTwo. All SpaceShip III development was cancelled in 2024 with no SpaceShip III spaceplanes completed or flown.

====Delta-class spaceship====
Virgin Galactic plans to have its third generation spaceship, the [[Virgin Galactic Delta|Delta]] class, ready for testing in 2025 and commercial flight in 2026, along with the next generation of mothership.<ref name=Virgin-20220707/> The Delta class is to be functionally the same as the SpaceShip III class, but it has been redesigned for higher production volumes.<ref>Sheetz, Michael. [https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/30/virgin-galactic-unveils-vss-imagine-the-first-of-spaceship-iii-series.html "Virgin Galactic unveils ‘VSS Imagine,’ the first of its next-generation spaceship series"], CNBC, March 2021. (retrieved 21 July 2022)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=2024-01-26 |title=Virgin Galactic launches four private astronauts as it prepares to end Unity flights |url=https://spacenews.com/virgin-galactic-launches-four-private-astronauts-as-it-prepares-to-end-unity-flights/ |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Fleet===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="8" style="background: #DADCE0;"| SpaceShipTwo (spaceships)
|-
! Name !! Commissioned !! Decommissioned !! Status
|-
| [[VSS Enterprise|VSS ''Enterprise'']] || 2010 || 2014 || [[VSS Enterprise crash|Destroyed due to in flight anomaly]]
|-
| [[VSS Unity|VSS ''Unity'']] || 2016 || 2024 || Retired
|-
!colspan="8" style="background: #DADCE0;"| SpaceShip III (spaceships)
|-
| [[VSS Imagine|VSS ''Imagine'']]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-unveils-vss-imagine-the-first-spaceship-iii-in-its-growing-fleet/ |title=Virgin Galactic unveils VSS Imagine the first spaceship III in its growing fleet |date=30 March 2021 |access-date=1 April 2021 |archive-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711172736/https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-unveils-vss-imagine-the-first-spaceship-iii-in-its-growing-fleet/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> || colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | Cancelled; never flown
|-
| VSS ''Inspire''|| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | Cancelled; never flown
|-
!colspan="8" style="background: #DADCE0;"| WhiteKnightTwo (motherships)
|-
! Name !! Commissioned !! Decommissioned !! Status
|-
| [[VMS Eve|VMS ''Eve'']] || 2008 || In use || In use
|-
!colspan="8" style="background: #DADCE0;"| Boeing 747 (motherships)
|-
! Name !! Commissioned !! Decommissioned !! Status
|-
| ''[[Cosmic Girl (airplane)|Cosmic Girl]]'' || 2015 || 2017 || Transferred from Virgin Galactic to [[Virgin Orbit]] in 2017
|}

===Commercial spaceflight locations===
In 2008 it was announced that test launches for its fleet of two White Knight Two mother ships and five or more SpaceShipTwo tourist suborbital spacecraft would take place from the [[Mojave Spaceport]], where [[Scaled Composites]] was constructing the spacecraft.<ref name="launchsite">{{cite web | url=http://www.virgingalactic.com/htmlsite/overview.php | title=Virgin Galactic FAQ: Where Will I Fly From? | access-date=26 June 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616051758/http://www.virgingalactic.com/htmlsite/overview.php | archive-date=16 June 2008 }}</ref>{{update after|2014|6|16}} An international architectural competition for the design of Virgin Galactic's operating base, [[Spaceport America]] in [[New Mexico]], saw the contract awarded to URS and Foster + Partners architects.<ref>{{cite web |title=Foster + Partners |url=http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/1613/Default.aspx |publisher=fosterandpartners.com |access-date=17 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216063348/http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/1613/Default.aspx|archive-date=16 February 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> In the same year Virgin Galactic announced that it would eventually operate in Europe out of [[Spaceport Sweden]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.virgingalactic.com/htmlsite/news.php | title=News Release 03.04.2008 / Spaceport Sweden and Virgin Galactic | access-date=26 June 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701131905/http://www.virgingalactic.com/htmlsite/news.php | archive-date=1 July 2008 }}</ref>{{update after|2014|6|16}} or even from [[RAF Lossiemouth]] in Scotland.<ref name="scuk2008">{{cite web | url=http://www.space.co.uk/DataBank/VideoGallery/VideoPlayer/tabid/384/VideoId/37/Will-Whitehorn-Virgin-Galactic-And-Heather-MacRae-Venture-Thinking-At-The-RAeS.aspx | publisher=space.co.uk | title=Will Whitehorn (Virgin Galactic) and Heather MacRae (Venture Thinking) at the RAeS | access-date=26 July 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021152008/http://space.co.uk/DataBank/VideoGallery/VideoPlayer/TabId/384/VideoId/37/Will-Whitehorn-Virgin-Galactic-And-Heather-MacRae-Venture-Thinking-At-The-RAeS.aspx | archive-date=21 October 2008 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

While the original plan called for flight operations to transfer from the California desert to the new spaceport upon completion of the spaceport,<ref name="launchsite"/> at the time Virgin Galactic had yet to complete the development and test program of [[SpaceShipTwo]]. In October 2010, the 3,000&nbsp;m (10,000&nbsp;ft) runway at Spaceport America was opened, with SpaceShipTwo "VSS Enterprise" shipped to the site carried underneath the fuselage of Virgin Galactic's mothership ''Eve''.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11611630 | title=Runway Opens at world's first spaceport | access-date=22 October 2010 | work=BBC News | date=23 October 2010}}</ref>