Virgin Galactic announced today it has signed an agreement with legendary British manufacturer Rolls-Royce to develop an aircraft for supersonic travel, with the hopes of taking tourists to the edge of space.
Virgin Galactic said it completed a mission concept review alongside NASA of its supersonic vehicle design and now will work with the Federal Aviation Administration to create a framework for certifying the aircraft for flight, according to CNBC.
“We have made great progress so far, and we look forward to opening up a new frontier in high-speed travel,” Virgin Galactic chief space officer George Whitesides said in a statement.
Virgin Galactic is finishing development testing of its SpaceShipTwo series of spacecraft, mostly recently installing the cabin’s interior as it looks to begin flying passengers for the first time.
Here’s a look at the early plans.
