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.

FMI: www.northropgrumman.com, www.scaled.com