Proof of Sir Richard Branson’s dedication to low carbon emissions will be displayed next year when Virgin Galactic’s two spacecrafts, Mothership Eve and SpaceShipTwo, perform test flights together using non-carbon based fuels. Virgin Fuels is working on biofuels made from algae to power the space ships, providing a tiny carbon footprint compared to even normal airplane travel.
The story by Fast Company says the flight by Mothership Eve up to SpaceShip Two’s launch altitude will produce less co2 per passsenger than a round trip New York – London flight. It should. The flight is only a couple of hours long!
The news of Virgin’s efforts at low carbon footprint – including solar powered ground facilities and algae fuel production – are indeed great news. Virgin’s green efforts are commendable and important, but GNN may want to consider some editorial research on stories before it passes them on “rubber stamp” style. Most stories of this sort are generated with bias by p.r. firms and industry spokepersons.