First commercial spaceliner makes history

WASHINGTON and MOJAVE, Calif. – History was made Sunday, October 10, on the path to the launch of the first commercial spaceliner with news of the first successful glide involving the mother ship, WhiteKnightTwo, and smaller spaceship, the VSS Enterprise, which safely separated at an altitude of 40,000 feet before returning to earth. The process of reaching this milestone has been documented for the premiere of National Geographic Channel’s (NGC) highly anticipated four-part series, Virgin Galactic, which is documenting the historic process and milestones leading up to the first commercial space flight.

Premiering Monday, October 18, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NGC, Virgin Galactic provides exclusive documentary coverage of maverick entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and legendary aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan as they strive to be first to make space tourism an everyday reality. Also included in the premiere episode will be the backstory of the venture, including Rutan’s win of the Ansari X Prize with SpaceShipOne and WhiteKnightOne.

“This series represents what we are all about — historic drama and adventure,” commented Steve Burns, NGC’s executive vice president of content. “We are honored to provide people with a window into the historic work of the incredible team at Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites as well as the vision of Burt Rutan and Richard Branson, whose drive and passion promise to make space travel a reality.”