Richard Branson, left, and Burt Rutan unveil a plane that they say will serve as the mothership for the world's first commercial spaceflight.
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Richard Branson and Burt Rutan’s space plane

Burt Rutan, Richard Branson, Virgin

Richard Branson, left, and Burt Rutan unveil a plane that they say will serve as the mothership for the world’s first commercial spaceflight.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Richard Branson, space plane. Mojave

Richard Branson’s space plane will carry a rocket ship up to 48,000 feet in the atmosphere, where it will detach and launch into space.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Burt Rutan, space plane, Virgin, Mojave

Aircraft designer Burt Rutan helped design and build the space plane.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Richard Branson, space plane

Artwork on the fuselage of Richard Branson’s space plane shows various aspects of humankind’s designs on flying.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Mojave, space plane

About 150 reporters were on hand at a Mojave airfield for the rollout of the space plane.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Space plane, Richard Branson, Burt Rutan

More than 250 wanna-be astronauts have paid Richard Branson $200,000 for a chance to float weightless in space. The first leg of their journey would be aboard the pace plane unveiled in Mojave.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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