The Model 348 White Knight Two (WK2) is a quadjet cargo aircraft that is used to lift the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft to release altitude. It is based on the successful mothership to SpaceShipOne, White Knight, which itself is based on Proteus.
The first White Knight Two is named VMS Eve after Richard Branson's mother Eve Branson; it flew for the first time on December 21, 2008. The second is expected to be named VMS Spirit of Steve Fossett after Branson's close friend Steve Fossett, who died in an aircraft accident in 2007.
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