Photo by Phil Weston Staff preps the WhiteKnightTwo for departure this morning.

August 1, 2009 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin  - Virgin Galactic's mother ship WhiteKnightTwo will depart Oshkosh at about 10 a.m. today, after making its world public debut at EAA AirVenture earlier in the week.

The space launch vehicle, also nicknamed Eve, arrived as part of the opening-day air show.

Dwarfing its namesake predecessor, WhiteKnightTwo is the world's largest all carbon composite flying vehicle. The 140-foot wingspan is the longest single carbon composite aviation component ever manufactured. The launch vehicle's mission will include ferrying SpaceShipTwo and thousands of private astronauts, science packages, and payload on the first stage of the Virgin Galactic suborbital space experience.

Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, said that test flights of VMS Eve carrying SpaceShipTwo will be conducted during the second half of 2009.