Sat, Jul 21, 2007
Company Currently Working On SpaceShipTwo, New Carrier
Vehicle
Say it ain't so, Burt!
Pending regulatory approval by the US Department of Justice,
Northrop Grumman Corp. plans to increase its stake in Scaled
Composites -- the maverick aerospace company led by Burt Rutan, and
builder of the Ansari X-Prize Cup-winning SpaceShipOne -- from 40
percent to 100 percent.
Northrop Grumman spokesman Dan McClain declined to disclose the
monetary terms of the deal, and indicated it will close in August,
according to MSNBC.
Backed by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, Scaled Composites, won
the $10 million Ansari X Prize in 2004 when its entry,
SpaceShipOne, twice reached an altitude just above the
internationally recognized border of space during a two-week
period.
The company is currently working on a vehicle currently dubbed
SpaceShipTwo with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. The
vehicle would have two pilots and carry up to six passengers into
suborbital space for a brief experience of zero gravity.
To get SpaceShipTwo to the necessary altitude of 15 kilometers
for entry into suborbital space, the company is also building a new
carrier aircraft, the WhiteKnight2.
The two companies formed a joint venture last year, the
Spaceship Company, to build the vehicles.
Virgin Galactic's chief operating officer, Alex Tai, declined
comment to MSNBC.
"I'm afraid I can't provide you with any comment at this stage
and I don't think [Scaled Composites] can either," he said.
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