BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhuanet) -- And the winner is -- Pratt & Whitney Canada.

Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.'s PW308 turbofan engine has been chosen by The Spaceship Company (TSC) -- a jointly-owned Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites company -- to power the White Knight II (WK2) launch aircraft for the world's first commercial passenger suborbital spaceship SpaceShipTwo (SS2).

Virgin Galactic is the launch customer for the SS2 system, having ordered five SS2 spacecraft with options for a further seven-plus WK2 carrier aircraft.

"We are delighted to welcome Pratt & Whitney Canada on board the White Knight II program," said Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group of Companies and co-founder of The Spaceship Company. "With P&WC's excellent reputation and our mutual desire for innovation, it became clear that its PW308 engine is the best and most reliable solution available today to help make our aerospace adventure a true success."


Equipped with its PW308 engines, the WK2 launch aircraft, being developed by Scaled Composites, will take off like an airplane with the manned SS2 attached underneath. It will launch SS2 into suborbital space from about 50,000 feet. The first flight of White Knight II is planned for 2008.

"We have been impressed with P&WC's enthusiasm for this groundbreaking project," said Burt Rutan co-founder of TSC and CEO of Scaled Composites LLC, designers of SS1 and SS2. "The PW308 is a great engine for our new launch aircraft."


Additionally, TSC and Virgin Fuels will work with the Longueuil, Quebec-based jet engine supplier to evaluate use of advanced biofuels in White Knight 2 that could reduce engine emissions, thereby enhancing the carrier plane's environmentally friendly status.

Virgin Galactic is offering suborbital space treks to the public for 200,000 U.S. dollars a seat. So far, it has received more than 25 million dollars in deposits and interest from over 80,000 people from 120 countries around the world, according to a press statement released by the engine manufacturer.

(Agencies)