Slashdot Mirror


U.S. Okays Virgin Galactic Plans

Aron writes "Space.com reports that the U.S. Department of State's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has approved collaboration of technical details between Scaled Composites of Mojave, California and Virgin Galactic of the United Kingdom to build passenger-carrying suborbital spaceliners. The next suborbital ship will be a nine person vessel." From the article: "Details about the new company were unveiled at the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) AirVenture air show held July 25-31 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Spaceship Company will build a fleet of commercial suborbital spaceships and launch aircraft. Scaled Composites is to be under contract for research and development testing, as well as certification of a 9-person SpaceShipTwo (SS2) design, and a White Knight Two (WK2) mothership to be called Eve."

4 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    FIRST

  2. Re:OKs technology exchange, not flight plans by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    I doubt the US would guarantee that this isn't going to be used for Iranian munitions in the future, once the puppet government is installed and we need to send them weapons to destabilize Iraq (again).

  3. Re:OKs technology exchange, not flight plans by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    What if Virgin were, for example French or German, or from another country that doesn't act as a puppet of the US government?

  4. 72 Galactic Virgins? by Cobblepop · · Score: 0, Troll

    Great, now Al-Qaeda has something new to fight for.