First spy shot of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo surfaces

It's not often that we get to cover spy shots here at Engadget, but we're as giddy as school children about this one. The SpaceShipTwo design was officially rolled out in January, and if Flightglobal is to be believed, that image above is the first capture of the craft. Reportedly, the shot was taken in Mojave, California where the vehicle is being constructed at Scaled Composites. One step closer to the next big leap for mankind? Sure looks like it.

[Lein @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:08PM]

The originality utilized for the naming scheme is just amazing.

I can't wait to see CellPhoneOne. Followed close by.... wait for it... CellPhoneTwo. It says Virgin on it too, so it's only a matter of time, right?

[Xee @ Jun 23rd 2008 7:18PM]

Right. They definitely need to spend the money to come up with different name to set them apart from all the other companies ready to take people into sub-orbit.

[Jon Acheson @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:10PM]

Spaceship 2 spy photos are nice, but what I am really looking forward to is the next SpaceX Falcon 1 launch, which could happen as early as Wednesday.

[Ron Smith @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:24PM]

not till july 29:

http://twitter.com/NanoSail_D

also that maybe the white knight two cockpit, since it and spaceshiptwo have identical designs.

[Flashpoint @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:12PM]

I flew a Bd-5J acrostar a couple times. I'd love to get my hands on one of these.

[IT-Accountant @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:16PM]

for some reason this picture does not inspire confidence in the build quality of this consumer spaceship.

Don't know why.

[NuttyBars @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:18PM]

I love that a regular pickup truck and dudes in hoodies are transporting it. Very exciting.

That said, you'd have to hold a gun to my head to get me to fly in it when it's built. I can't believe people are paying an arm and a leg for it.

[Rykaro @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:28PM]

Something about carting the nose/cockpit of a spacecraft around on the back of a flatbed truck strikes me as..."odd"

[johnzilla @ Jun 23rd 2008 4:09PM]

How would you do it? On the backs of a couple hundred slaves in loincloths? Would you build a truck that looks like a spaceship just to cart around spaceship pieces?

Use the right tool for the job. Screwing in a screw? A screwdriver! Trucking something large from point A to point B? Why, a truck!

[ddub @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:32PM]

No, actually nobody needed to bring it up.

[Josh @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:43PM]

Has anyone else noticed that this nose doesn't match the design from the model? The front on this is more "snubbed" than the model's "pointed" nose.

That, along with the hoodie patrol, do make me wonder if this is even legit.

Just a thought...

[ddub @ Jun 23rd 2008 4:11PM]

I think the nose is a seperate section. As for the hoodies, I'm assuming this picture was taken months ago, or very early in the morning, because it's gotta be 150 degrees during the day in mojave right now.

[Richard Lai @ Jun 23rd 2008 5:45PM]

@Josh: Usually with a normal commercial plane they put on another cap in the front of the actual cockpit "shell", housing some radar gear. I guess it'll be the same for the SpaceShipTwo.

[Marty @ Jul 27th 2008 11:23PM]

The design is rounded as much as possible as the cabin area is pressurised. The curved nose is essentially the forward pressure bulkhead and extra aerodynamic fairings perhaps containing thrust vectoring or avionics will most likely be added as a 'pointy nose'.

[Anthony @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:45PM]

Please enjoy your flight on our new spacecraft that was built by the lowest bidder.

[The Tuzz @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:41PM]

yeah... its called NASA...

contracting out jobs to the lowest bidder in the federal sector is nothing new so why would you be suprised that it happens in the commercial sector

[Anthony @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:54PM]

That was my point...actually...

[ShadowKain @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:54PM]

If one can snag a photo of this thing so easily, how they gonna make sure security is top notch so no one messes with this thing?

[Chad @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:58PM]

I was not expecting a convertible model. Gutsy for space travel, but I like it.

[Simon P @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:07PM]

Ha! You sir, get voted up. Thanks for my first post-lunch chuckle.

[Pingmeister @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:54PM]

Nicely done. My thought was "I expected it to be bigger."

[MeatPop @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:01PM]

The lamest thing is you are actually trying to be a troll, please give up on life now.

[Wormbolt @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:58PM]

You have to hand it to Branson. The only way to one-up a guy who owns his own spaceship is to say you own your own wookie.

[Jason @ Jun 23rd 2008 3:06PM]

Hey MeatPop, people actually do that, and it's never as funny when it happens as it was when you suggested it. Yeah, trolls suck. SO WHAT!

GET A SOUL AND STOP RECOMMENDING SUICIDE TO PEOPLE!

[rektide @ Jun 23rd 2008 5:39PM]

This spaceship sucks, it doesnt have any of the great apps from the itunes store.

[Sean @ Jun 23rd 2008 7:02PM]

The node is exactly like the ship in their photos. There is an additional pointy nose cone that fits over the rounded nose of the body.

[pfromg @ Jun 23rd 2008 7:22PM]

its not looking much like an intergalactic rocket ship to me.

[pfromg @ Jun 23rd 2008 7:25PM]

will this get frikin laser beam?

[RC @ Jun 23rd 2008 11:21PM]

I thought there had been photos of the factory showing the ships under construction, previous to this.