When the new Airbus A350 XWB (XWB stands for eXtra Wide Body) takes off on its maiden flight in two years time, this will also represent a milestone for the composites industry. 50% of the fuselage of the wide-bodied aircraft, which is being developed as a competitor to the Boeing 787, is made of composite materials. Last summer, Airbus purchased Read Full Post
Only one more year to go: For 200,000 dollars well-heeled flight enthusiasts will then be able to fly with SpaceShipTwo to a height of 110 kilometres (68 miles) above the surface of the earth, where space begins. The idea for this so-called space tourism came from Richard Branson, the British billionaire, entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin record label. The specially established company Virgin Galactic (VG) is to implement his concept.
Branson is building the first private spaceport for space tourists in New Mexico, and is investing several hundred million euros in this. It is said that several tens of thousands of would-be space tourists have already applied for a flight with SpaceShipTwo. These suborbital spaceplanes are being developed by Scaled Composites, which had already produced the previous model SpaceShipOne, with which it won a renowned competition.
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