Flight International online news 11:00GMT: Suborbital tourism company Virgin Galactic has been given approval by the US government for technology transfer from Mojave, California-based SpaceShipOne (SS1)-developer Scaled Composites for the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) vehicle.
SpaceShipOne carried by White Knight 1
Under US export rules the country's companies and individuals cannot provide information on certain technologies to non-US organisations and foreign citizens. The technologies used by SS1, such as its hybrid rocket engine, are covered by this law.
"We can now activate our intellectual property licence with Paul Allen’s company Mojave Aerospace Ventures," said Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn, speaking to Flight International last week.
Allen’s company owns the technology rights for SS1 systems that will be used for SS2.
Virgin Galactic began its export application earlier this year after becoming a registered US company in the third quarter 2004.
It needs the technology transfer to buy the five nine-seater SS2 vehicles and two White Knight 2 (WK2) carrier aircraft it will get from the UK’s Virgin Group and Scaled Composites joint venture The Spaceship Company.
The Spaceship Company will also need technology transfer approval to work with Scaled Composites. Whitehorn expects the new spacecraft manufacturer to become a legal US company later this year.
The prototype SS2 and WK2 vehicles will be built at Scaled Composites.
The production SS2s and WK2s will be built at The Spaceship Company’s factory, which is expected to be based at Scaled Composites.
Virgin Galactic has been contacted by space tourism company Space Adventures (Flight International, 2-9 August 2005) and NASA for possible use of SS2.
ROB COPPINGER / LONDON
Source: Flight International
