Scaled Composites White Knight Two
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This article contains information about a scheduled or anticipated future aircraft.
It may contain preliminary or speculative information, and may not reflect the final version of the aircraft.
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Scaled Composites' White Knight Two is the first stage of Tier 1b, a two-stage to suborbital-space manned launch system. It is coupled with SpaceShipTwo to form the full launch package. WK2 is based on the successful mothership to SpaceShipOne, which itself is based on Proteus.
Virgin Galactic has two WK2's on order.[1] Together WK2 and SS2 form the basis for Virgin Galactic's fleet of suborbital spaceplanes.
The first two WK2s will be named after Steve Fossett, a close friend of Richard Branson, and Richard's mother Eve:
[edit] Design
White Knight Two will be roughly three times larger than White Knight, in order to perform a captive carry with the larger SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. The WK2 will be similar in wingspan to a B29 bomber,[4] and will be by far the largest aircraft constructed by Scaled Composites.[5] It is also the largest all composite aircraft ever built.
WK2 will be an aerobatic aircraft, and will provide preview flights offering several seconds of weightlessness, before the actual suborbital event. It will have a service ceiling of about 60,000 ft or 18km, offering a dark blue sky to passengers. This would allow tourists to practice before the real flight.[6]
White Knight Two will have a twin boom with two jet engines per hull.[7] One hull will be an exact replica of that of SpaceShipTwo (to allow tourist training), and the other will carry cut-rate day-trippers into the stratosphere.[8]
The design is quite different from the White Knight, both in size, use of tail, engine configuration and placement of cockpit(s). The White Knight uses two T-tails, but the White Knight 2 uses two cruciform tails. Engine configuration is also very different, with engines hung underneath the wings on the White Knight 2 and engines on either side of the sole cockpit on the White Knight.
[edit] Historical similarity of design
It has been suggested that the final design of Scaled Composites White Knight Two resembles a 1979 Soviet spacecraft designated 3M-2. A twin-boom, four engined aircraft would have carried a spaceplane under its middle wing and released it at high altitude. The design was developed by the Soviet Myasishchev Experimental Design Bureau around 1979. The carrier aircraft would have been based on the Soviet 3M bomber, and like White Knight Two it could have been used in other ways, not just for carrying the spacecraft. However, at an engineering level the resemblance between the two craft is not strong and may simply be a case of similar requirements leading to similar designs. [9]
[edit] Commercial introduction
The White Knight Two design was revealed on January 23, 2008. Construction of the first aircraft is due to complete in June 2008 with the first test flight in July 2008.[10]
The launch customer of White Knight Two is Virgin Galactic, which will have the first two units, and exclusive rights to the craft for the first few years.
[edit] Aircraft specifications
General characteristics
- Payload: 30,500 kg (30 tons)
- Length: 24 m (79 ft)
- Wingspan: 43 m (141 ft)
- Height: ()
- Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308 turbofan
Performance
- Service ceiling 18 km (60,000 ft)
[edit] References
- ^ Malik, Tariq (2008-01-23). Virgin Galactic Unveils Suborbital Spaceliner Design. SPACE.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
- ^ Burack, Ari (10 October 2007). Sir Richard Branson.... San Francisco Sentinel. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
- ^ Spaceship Company unveils design of SpaceShipTwo. Pravda Online (2008-01-23). Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
- ^ Something dangerous and new. thespacereview.com (August 28 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-28.
- ^ SS2, White Knight 2 to use common fuselage. flightglobal (March 7 2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ^ Leonard David (11 August 2006). Burt Rutan on Civilian Spaceflight, Breakthroughs, and Inside SpaceShipTwo. Space.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ^ Kenny Kemp (March 2007). Destination Space. Virgin Books.
- ^ Spencer Reiss (May 22, 2007). Burt Rutan and Richard Branson Want You to Hit Space in High Style. Wired.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ^ Dave Brody (2008-01-25). Space Ship Two: Eerily Familiar…. Live Science. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ Rob Coppinger (December 7, 2007). Virgin Galactic sets out Year of the Spaceship. Flight International. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
- ^ Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308 Engine to Power Virgin Galactic's Suborbital Spaceship Launcher. Pratt & Whitney Canada (11 July 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ^ Will Whitehorn and Alex Tai (22 July 2007). Virgin Galactic presentation Oshkosh Theater in the Woods 2007. BrightCove.TV. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
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