Launched in London on September 27 2004, Virgin Galactic has its roots in Virgin’s six year long plan to enter the race to space tourism.
The impetus of the $10 million X Prize – a challenge to create affordable and re-useable space craft for tourism - brought Rutan, Allen and Branson together to form a formidable triumvirate to open the near reaches of space to thousands of pioneering space tourists.
Months of negotiations reached fruition just days before the announcement to the world’s media at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London, England.
PLANES, TRAINS AND... SPACESHIPS. HOW VIRGIN GOT INTO GALACTIC TRAVEL
Virgin first formed the company and registered their trademark in space tourism back in the mid 1990's. We were looking at a number of projects then underway to further the concept of space tourism, however we rejected all of them.
It was only with Paul G. Allen’s sole funding of Burt Rutan’s X Prize entry through the formation of Mojave Aerospace Ventures, that we began to see something truly viable.
We have been in talks with Paul G. Allen and Mojave Aerospace Ventures since the beginning of this year. Virgin has now licensed the intellectual property rights from Mojave Aerospace Ventures that will allow them to develop and build the world’s first private commercial spaceships initially suitable for sub-orbital space tourism but with plans to develop beyond that in the future.
Virgin has a long history of working with Burt Rutan, including a round the world balloon flight in the 1990’s and Steve Fossett’s Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.
It is planned to take applications from the pilots of some of Virgin Galactic's sister airlines to enter into training to pilot the new spaceships. Many of the airlines' pilots formerly flew fast jets, experimental aircraft and even in the aerobatic displays of the RAF's 'Red Arrows'. Together with some of the top civilian pilots in the world, and with their extensive experience in commercial airlines, we believe they have the 'right stuff'.
http://www.virgingalactic.com
The impetus of the $10 million X Prize – a challenge to create affordable and re-useable space craft for tourism - brought Rutan, Allen and Branson together to form a formidable triumvirate to open the near reaches of space to thousands of pioneering space tourists.
Months of negotiations reached fruition just days before the announcement to the world’s media at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London, England.
PLANES, TRAINS AND... SPACESHIPS. HOW VIRGIN GOT INTO GALACTIC TRAVEL
Virgin first formed the company and registered their trademark in space tourism back in the mid 1990's. We were looking at a number of projects then underway to further the concept of space tourism, however we rejected all of them.
It was only with Paul G. Allen’s sole funding of Burt Rutan’s X Prize entry through the formation of Mojave Aerospace Ventures, that we began to see something truly viable.
We have been in talks with Paul G. Allen and Mojave Aerospace Ventures since the beginning of this year. Virgin has now licensed the intellectual property rights from Mojave Aerospace Ventures that will allow them to develop and build the world’s first private commercial spaceships initially suitable for sub-orbital space tourism but with plans to develop beyond that in the future.
Virgin has a long history of working with Burt Rutan, including a round the world balloon flight in the 1990’s and Steve Fossett’s Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.
It is planned to take applications from the pilots of some of Virgin Galactic's sister airlines to enter into training to pilot the new spaceships. Many of the airlines' pilots formerly flew fast jets, experimental aircraft and even in the aerobatic displays of the RAF's 'Red Arrows'. Together with some of the top civilian pilots in the world, and with their extensive experience in commercial airlines, we believe they have the 'right stuff'.
http://www.virgingalactic.com
