A Range Rover Autobiography took center stage as Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson unveiled the Virgin Galactic’s new SpaceShipTwo at a special reveal and naming ceremony at their Mojave Air and Space Port base in California, USA. The Autobiography towed one of the new SpaceShipTwo – officially christened VSS Unity – in front of the world’s media, special guests and a group of Virgin Galactic’s ‘Future Astronauts.’
Guests at the unveiling ceremony including Virgin Galactic’s stakeholders, VIP guests and Future Astronaut customers, watched on as Sir Richard arrived in the Range Rover and the new SpaceShipTwo made its global debut. The event also marked the special official naming moment of the new SpaceShipTwo, with Stephen Hawking announcing the name VSS Unity via a specially recorded message.
Announced in April 2014, the tow-out1 of VSS Unity by a Range Rover Autobiography marks the latest milestone in the partnership between the two pioneering brands; a partnership based around a strong British heritage and a true spirit of adventure, but underpinned by a desire to push the boundaries of technical innovation.
A fleet of Land Rover vehicles currently provides valuable support for the Virgin Galactic team at its base in Mojave and will be an important part of its commercial operations for future astronauts at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Both Land Rover and Virgin Galactic run significant and highly regarded community relations and STEM education programs, which encourage young people to aspire to a future in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
2015 marked the 21st anniversary of the Range Rover Autobiography. Across two decades Autobiography has denoted the ultimate combination of Land Rover design, capability and luxury, adapting with changing customer tastes and preferences to remain a benchmark in the premium SUV market.
Stephen Attenborough, Commercial Director at Virgin Galactic said, “Since our partnership began in April 2014, Land Rover has become an integral part of the team’s day-to-day operating environment in Mojave. Therefore, it was fitting that the Range Rover Autobiography took a starring role in today’s events as our new SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, made its global debut. We’re looking forward to more collaborations across the business, including STEM programs as well as engineering, design and product initiatives.”
Tosan Aduayi, a motoring journalist since 1994, is the founder and publisher of Trendy Africa Magazine and has reported on Motoring with trademark columns (Roadrunner, Carliners). He is also the founder of Flowtran global.
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