London to Sydney in TWO hours: Virgin Galactic space flight technology could be used to build new generation of super jets to replace Concorde
- Virgin say their SS2 spacecraft could be modified into a jet
- One day it could allow travel from London to Sydney in just two hours
- The company says it is also considering space cruises to the Moon
- Space tourism flights could begin as early as next year
Futuristic planes based on spaceships which could allow passengers to travel from London to Sydney in two and a half hours are being developed.
Virgin Galactic, the space flight company owned by Sir Richard Branson, says that the space tourism plane it is currently developing could be modified and turned into a super jet.
The Concorde-like aircraft would travel outside of the Earth's atmosphere and enter orbit, using gravitational forces to travel at incredibly fast speeds.
The Virgin Galactic ship SS2, seen here on a test flight in the Mojave desert, might one day be modified to allow high speed orbital travel from country to country
Virgin Galactic have so far succeeded in getting the craft outside the stratosphere, the second lowest layer of the atmosphere
After detaching from its carrier plane SS2 ignites a powerful rocket which launches it into space
Passing above the planet at around 4,200mph it could cover the 10,500 miles from London to Sydney in two and a half hours.
Among the company's other long-term goals are space cruise ships which could take people away from Earth for longer stretches.
Speaking at an event in London yesterday, commercial director Stephen Attenborough said they could serve as orbital hotels, or allow tourists to travel to the Moon and back.
Force India co-owner Michiel Mol and Dutch airline KLM have also teamed up to produce a similar jet which could begin flying next year.
Tickets will initially cost £60,000 but the pair say commercial space flight could be available within 15-20 years.
The spaceship is flown into the air while strapped into the carrying craft White Knight before detaching itself to launch into space
The company says the first space tourism flight, taken by Richard Branson and his family, will take place next year
Mol's first generation spaceship, the Lynx, will travel at 2,200 mph and he predicts it will be capable of flying four times day and doing 5,000 flights with one engine.
Unlike Virgin's craft it will not actually exit the atmosphere but will rely on engines to produce speeds of more than four times the speed of sound.
So far Virgin's SS2 aircraft has only managed to exit the stratosphere, the second lowest part of Earth's atmosphere, though the company says it will launch its first flight next year.
Its manned spacecraft became the highest commercial winged vehicle to ever fly and used its shuttlecock-inspired 'feather system' to safely re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
The company has already collected $80million (£50m) in deposits from 640 wealthy individuals interested in being among the first into space.
However they will have to queue behind Sir Richard himself as he and his family are due to take the first trip.
The flight took place over the Mojave desert and was piloted by Mark Stucky and Clint Nichols and lasted approximately an hour.
Branson has also launched a TV competition show aimed at rewarding one winner with a ticket on board one of the SS2 craft.
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