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Virgin Galactic facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
White Knight Two and SpaceShipTwo from directly below
The Virgin Galactic spacecraft

Virgin Galactic is a company that wants to make space travel possible for everyone. It was started in 2004 by a British billionaire named Richard Branson. Their main goal is to become the first company to offer space tourism, allowing regular people to experience space.

What is Virgin Galactic?

Virgin Galactic is a company focused on sending people and small satellites into space. They are working to create a new way for people to visit space, not just astronauts. This idea is called "space tourism."

How Do They Fly to Space?

Virgin Galactic uses a special system to get to space. It involves two main parts: a large carrier airplane and a smaller spacecraft.

  • The carrier airplane, called WhiteKnightTwo, takes off from a runway like a regular plane.
  • The spacecraft, called SpaceShipTwo, is attached underneath WhiteKnightTwo.
  • When WhiteKnightTwo reaches a high altitude, SpaceShipTwo is released.
  • SpaceShipTwo then fires its rocket engine to blast itself the rest of the way into space.
  • After a short time in space, SpaceShipTwo glides back down to Earth and lands on a runway.

This method allows them to launch from a regular airport, which is different from traditional rocket launches.

Their Spacecraft

Virgin Galactic's main spacecraft for carrying people is called SpaceShipTwo. It is designed to carry up to six passengers and two pilots. The passengers get to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see amazing views of Earth from space.

They also have a special airplane called WhiteKnightTwo. This large plane carries SpaceShipTwo high into the sky before it is released. WhiteKnightTwo is like a flying launchpad for the spacecraft.

Virgin Galactic also uses a modified Boeing 747 airplane named Cosmic Girl. This plane is used to launch small rockets that carry satellites into orbit. This part of their business is called LauncherOne.

Images for kids

  • WhiteKnight Two flying

    White Knight Two in the air

  • G-VWOW (11029742813)

    LauncherOne will be launched from this former Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747, named Cosmic Girl.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Virgin Galactic para niños

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