Scaled Composites WhiteKnightTwo
| White Knight Two | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | Flying Space Aircraft Carrier |
| Manufacturer | Scaled Composites |
| Designer | Robert Morgan, James Tighe |
| First flight | December 21, 2008 |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Scaled Composites White Knight |
The Scaled Composites Model 348 White Knight Two (WK2) is a jet-powered cargo aircraft that is used to lift the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft to release altitude. It was developed by Scaled Composites from 2007 to 2010 as the first stage of Tier 1b, a two-stage to suborbital-space manned launch system. WK2 is based on the successful mothership to SpaceShipOne, White Knight, which itself is based on Proteus.
With an "open architecture" design and explicit plans for multi-purpose use, the aircraft could also operate as a zero-g aircraft for passenger training or microgravity science flights, handle missions in high-altitude testing more generally, or be used to launch payloads other than SpaceShipTwo. A study of use of the aircraft as a forest fire water bomber has also been mentioned, one that would utilize a large carbon composite water tank that could be quickly replenished to make repeat runs over fires.
Virgin Galactic has ordered two White Knight Two vehicles. Together, WK2 and SS2 form the basis for Virgin Galactic's fleet of suborbital spaceplanes.
In November 2010, The Spaceship Company had announced that it planned to build at least three additional White Knight Two aircraft and an additional five SpaceShipTwo rocket planes, the aircraft to be built by Virgin after the initial prototypes of each craft are built by Scaled Composites. As of 2015[update], it is not clear how many SS2 and WK2 vehicles will actually be built.
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Wikipedia