MadScot
Brandy's back!
MSNBC article in fullMOJAVE, Calif., April 18 Aircraft designer Burt Rutan unveiled Friday a fully-built launch system that, if flights outside the atmosphere prove successful, would be the first private manned space program. Both the spacecraft, called SpaceShipOne, and its launch platform, a futuristic jet known as the White Knight, were developed and built in secret and have already begun tests at lower altitudes.
So, is someone going to finally get a private spaceplane operational? Kind of puts the Chinese space programme in perspective: an unknown US company appears as likely to get someone into space as does the government of 20% of the world's population!
Below is a shot of the craft, taken from the same article.