Today, Virgin Galactic, the newest arm of the Virgin Group, rolled out the WhiteKnight II (WK2) mothership at the Mojave Air and Space Port and we had a chance to be a part of it. Guests checked in at the south hanger at LAX and were taken to the desert on a new member of the Virgin America fleet, aptly named “My Other Ride Is A Spaceship.” When we landed, we were taken into the Scaled Composites hanger where we were introduced to an all-star cast including lead engineers, Galactic pilots, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, a local Congressman, and fire and police chiefs. All of sudden a loud female voice started counting down and the hanger doors parted. The bright California sun shone through the white curtains and, as you are about to make out the shape of a plane, they dropped unveiling a large, unique looking aircraft. Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and aeronautical pioneer Burt Rutan are hanging out the windows waving at the crowd. They held a fun Q&A panel which reiterated Virgin’s goals for developing space travel — namely, advancement in space travel must be started in the private sector and Virgin hopes to be the catalyst to spur more development with the launch of Galactic. Here are some fun facts about the new spacecraft and program:

• WK2 is the first 100% composite aircraft (including the control cables, using a proprietary design), which makes it lightweight, more fuel efficient, and safer. No bolts are required and fatigue is not an issue.

• Though WK2 can fly and launch SpaceShipTwo (SS2) higher in the atmosphere, the air up there is so thin that it’s difficult for SpaceShipTwo to get the lift it needs to reach sub-orbit. So instead, it will launch SS2 at the same altitude WK1 did, which is about 48,000 feet.

• They are starting a pilot exchange program where select Virgin America pilots can enter a rigorous training program and fly for the Galactic group.

• Lucky members of their frequent flier program, EleVAte, may win seats on a future Galactic flight

• The main spaceport will be in New Mexico, with talks of new locations in Sweden, Spain (Barcelona), northern Scotland (British airspace), and Australasia.

• The captive carry capabilities of WK2 are improved over the first iteration, theoretically allowing it to carry a pod that could launch a traveler to the moon.

• The passenger cabin for SS2 is very large to allow passengers room to move around. It currently has eight seats (two pilots, six passengers) but could accommodate two additional riders.