Launch of Mother Ship Virgin EVE

Virgin Mothership Eve

Photograph by Mark Greenberg

The first WhiteKnightTwo, christened VMS Eve after Richard Branson's mother, was revealed to the public for the first time in July 2008 and started its test flight program later that year. At the first roll-out in Mojave it was described as an aviation milestone and for good reason: it is the largest all carbon composite aviation vehicle ever built and the most fuel efficient of its size. It has a unique capability to carry heavy payload (around 35,0000lbs) to high altitude (around 50,000ft) and a range of over 2000 nautical miles. Remarkably, for a vehicle of its size, it is also capable of performing high and zero g maneuvers.