Browse > Home / Aeronautics News, Commercial / PW308A-Powered WK2 Launch Aircraft for First Commercial Space Flight Debuts

PW308A-Powered WK2 Launch Aircraft for First Commercial Space Flight Debuts

Written by thomas · Filed Under Aeronautics News, Commercial 

July 28, 2008

thomas

LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC–(Marketwire – July 28, 2008) – Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) is celebrating the official rollout in Mojave, California of the PW308A-powered WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) launch aircraft for the world’s first commercial passenger suborbital spaceship. P&WC is a United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) company.

“We are proud to be powering this important component of The Spaceship Company’s (TSC) commercial spaceship program just one year after our engines were selected for the mother ship,” said John Saabas, Executive Vice President, P&WC. “The development program has been going very well and it’s fantastic to see the WhiteKnightTwo make its debut appearance.”

The WK2 carrier aircraft, powered by four PW308A engines, is being designed by Scaled Composites to release SpaceShipTwo (SS2), the first commercial passenger suborbital spacecraft, at an altitude of about 50,000 ft. TSC is jointly owned by Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites.

“The rollout of WhiteKnightTwo is a great milestone that paves the way for a new era in space travel,” said Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group of Companies and co-founder of The Spaceship Company. “It will have the best fuel efficiency of any aircraft ever built thanks to its state-of-the-art and dependable PW308A engines. With collaboration from companies such as Pratt & Whitney Canada, we are developing the world’s most advanced payload carrier and pushing the boundaries of innovation to make public space travel a reality.”

“The WhiteKnightTwo program will give P&WC an invaluable opportunity to collect high-altitude performance data for the PW308A turbofan,” added Saabas.

The fully-certified PW308A engine has a demonstrated capability to fly at an altitude up to 60,000 feet. Rated at 6,900 lbs. normal takeoff thrust and equipped with a full-authority digital engine control (FADEC), the PW308A provides a combination of cruise thrust, fuel consumption and power-to-weight ratio considered best in its class. It currently powers Raytheon’s new Hawker 4000 super mid-size business jet.

Pratt & Whitney Canada, based in Longueuil, Quebec, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines powering business, general aviation and regional aircraft and helicopters. The company also manufactures auxiliary power units and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., USA, is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

» Próximo Post - Elbit Systems to Supply the Israeli Defense Forces with Thermal Imaging and Target Acquisition Systems
« Post Aneterior - Brazil to invest $2.4 billion in its airports for the World Cup in 2014

Comments

¿Tiene algo que decir?

You must be logged in to post a comment.