Photos: Virgin goes Galactic for SpaceShipTwo

Here's what Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo will look like mounted on its 'mother ship', WhiteKnightTwo.

The WhiteKnightTwo aircraft, expected to be ready for test flights this summer, is a high-altitude aircraft that will fly SpaceShipTwo to the upper atmosphere. SpaceShipTwo will then "air launch" in a way that Virgin Galactic executives say will be more energy-efficient (carbon emissions per passenger are expected to be about 60 per cent of what they would be on a commercial flight from New York to London) and safer than a traditional ground launch.

Photo credit: Virgin Galactic