LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – The flying launch pad, WhiteKnightTwo, made three low level flyovers here today at the Las Cruces International Airport – a continuation of celebrations for the groundbreaking of nearby Spaceport America.
WhiteKnightTwo is undergoing an extensive program of test flights, including long duration jaunts from its California home base at Mojave Air and Space Port.
The exotic looking aircraft – seemingly a catamaran of the sky – was en route to the June 19 groundbreaking ceremonies at Spaceport America. A slight technical difficulty curtailed that plan, with the mega-craft landing in Phoenix.Today, lifting off from Phoenix, WhiteKnightTwo then winged its way here, cruising overhead in near cloudless skies. For onlookers gathered on the tarmac at the Las Cruces International Airport – including this reporter – the low level, over the runway flybys were indeed impressive.
The huge mothership of a craft is undergoing an ever-expanding list of test objectives. WhiteKnightTwo is the launch system for the six passenger/two pilot SpaceShipTwo suborbital rocket plane, an effort backed by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceliner company.
According to Virgin Galactic officials here, expect to see the unveiling of SpaceShipTwo this coming December. That rocketship, like WhiteKnightTwo, is a product to a skilled workforce at Scaled Composites, headquartered at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
I heard there was to be a wedding in space aboard the Spaceship 2. Now that would be cool.
60 mile hight club?
Reminds me of some of the designs from old ‘pulp’ magazines (e.g. Doc Savage) for ‘futuristic’ planes. Or Sky Captain and The World of the Future.
J/P=?
FYI las cruces doesn’t have an international airport.
This is very similar to the old F-82 “Twin Mustang”.
http://tinyurl.com/3yya6p
It isn’t a new concept but Rutan of Scaled Composites fame is still quite the visionary.
#4. Oh Yeah?
Las Cruces International Airport (IATA: LRU, ICAO: KLRU) is an international airport located 8 miles west of the city center of Las Cruces, New Mexico, on a Mesa overlooking the Mesilla Valley. There have been no scheduled passenger flights to this airport since Westward Airways ceased operations on July 25, 2005. The airport is the home base for 135 aircraft, and sees an average of 209 flight operations daily. The airport is used by general aviation, the United States government, New Mexico State University, private charters and the local CAP squadron. Should an airline desire to restore scheduled air service, the field retains a passenger terminal. Most Las Crucens wanting to travel by air either drive or take shuttle buses to El Paso International Airport or Albuquerque International Sunport.
The airport features two fixed base operators, Southwest Aviation and Adventure Aviation, to provide flight instruction services, aircraft fuel, and facilities to handle corporate aircraft and private charters. In addition, Adventure Aviation features a restaurant open to the general public, Crosswinds Grill.
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As I recall, the Germans tried this with the Me 109 in an effort to match the Mosquito.
I’ll see it up close in Oshkosh next month
Looks a little like it would not last long in severe turbulence, and the second pic looks like a photoshop Job. I almost dont believe the photo, it would be more beleivable if the horizontal stabilizer was connected. Imagine vertical oscillations along the body plane in the X axis (Z axis Oscilations) the wing would be taking allot of twisting stress. or Vertical Oscillations along the Y axis, it would look like a condor flaping along the sky, just before it became 2 halves. Good luck if its real.
BubbaRay, Thanks for the additional Pics
Wow Amazing… The Boys in the Desert did it again
woohoo.. Go Rutan!
I cried when i saw the first ship go suborbital. that had to be the proudest moment for me as an American in ages..
-s