Virgin Galactic wants your help naming its new Delta class spaceship
Virgin Galactic wants your help naming its new Delta class spaceship
维珍银河邀请您为旗下的新型“三角洲”级飞船命名
As Virgin Galactic nears christening the first of its next-generation spaceship designed to launch customers on suborbital flights, it still is missing a key component—a name. The self-described “commercial spaceline,” which was founded by British tycoon Richard Branson, has turned to the public to vote on what to call the new vehicle.
随着维珍银河公司即将为其首艘旨在搭载乘客进行亚轨道飞行的下一代飞船举行命名仪式，它仍缺少一个关键要素——名字。这家由英国大亨理查德·布兰森（Richard Branson）创立、自称为“商业航天公司”的企业，已转向公众投票，以决定这艘新飞船的名称。
The spaceplane will be a member of Virgin Galactic’s Delta-class fleet, succeeding SpaceShipTwo, which carried Branson and 31 others on 12 short hops above the US-defined boundary between Earth and space.
这架太空飞机将成为维珍银河“三角洲”（Delta）级机队的一员，接替之前的“太空船二号”（SpaceShipTwo）。“太空船二号”曾搭载布兰森及其他31人，完成了12次飞越美国定义的地球与太空边界的短途飞行。
“You can vote for one of four finalist names for a spaceship that will join Virgin Galactic’s growing fleet and the next chapter in our journey to expand access to space,” the company announced on its website on August 11. “Name a Virgin Galactic spaceship, shape a piece of spaceflight history.”
“您可以从四个入围名称中选出一个，为这艘即将加入维珍银河日益壮大的机队、开启我们拓展太空探索新篇章的飞船命名，”该公司于8月11日在其网站上宣布。“为维珍银河的飞船命名，共同书写一段航天历史。”
Virgin Galactic completed structural assembly of “Delta-1,” its first new spaceship, earlier this year and towed it from its assembly hangar to a test and launch hangar in Arizona. Like SpaceShipTwo, Delta spaceships are designed to fly with up to six people. The new spaceship has streamlined manufacturing and maintenance, supporting an increased flight rate. Delta-class ships may fly as many as eight space missions per month, 12 times what was possible with SpaceShipTwo, according to Virgin Galactic.
维珍银河于今年早些时候完成了其首艘新飞船“Delta-1”的结构组装，并将其从组装机库拖至亚利桑那州的测试与发射机库。与“太空船二号”一样，三角洲级飞船的设计载客量最高为6人。这款新飞船简化了制造和维护流程，支持更高的飞行频率。据维珍银河称，三角洲级飞船每月可执行多达8次太空任务，是“太空船二号”飞行能力的12倍。
Horizon, Explorer, Ascend, Apeiron
地平线（Horizon）、探索者（Explorer）、升腾（Ascend）、无限（Apeiron）
After polling its team members and Future Astronauts, Virgin Galactic narrowed the choice of names for its new spaceship to Horizon, Explorer, Ascend, or Apeiron.
在咨询了团队成员和“未来宇航员”（Future Astronauts）的意见后，维珍银河将新飞船的候选名称缩小为：Horizon（地平线）、Explorer（探索者）、Ascend（升腾）或 Apeiron（无限）。
Virgin Galactic plans to debut the Delta spaceship’s livery, including its name, as its next milestone before delivering the first vehicle to Spaceport America in New Mexico, where flight tests will begin. “Our first ship is now expected to enter commercial service in February 2027,” said Michael Colglazier, Virgin Galactic CEO, in a statement released on August 12. “We expect to commence the flight test phase with this vehicle in October, with our second spaceship planned to join the fleet in March.”
维珍银河计划在将首架飞船交付至新墨西哥州的美国太空港（Spaceport America）进行飞行测试之前，将其涂装（包括名称）作为下一个里程碑进行发布。“我们的第一艘飞船目前预计将于2027年2月投入商业运营，”维珍银河首席执行官迈克尔·科尔格拉齐尔（Michael Colglazier）在8月12日发表的一份声明中表示。“我们预计将于10月开始该飞船的飞行测试阶段，第二艘飞船计划于3月加入机队。”
Recently, Virgin Galactic teammates and “Future Astronauts” (the title the company gives to its clients who have reserved seats) were asked to submit their ideas for a name. Out of the 276 submissions, four were chosen for the vote:
- Horizon, as in Earth’s blue curve against the black of space.
- Explorer, emphasizing the human yearning to discover and go farther.
- Ascend, starting with a decision to rise through the ignition of the rocket.
- Apeiron, an ancient Greek word meaning infinite, as in the view at apogee.
最近，维珍银河的团队成员和“未来宇航员”（公司对预订了座位的客户的称呼）被邀请提交命名建议。在276份提案中，有四个入围投票：
- Horizon（地平线）：象征地球在漆黑太空背景下的蓝色弧线。
- Explorer（探索者）：强调人类渴望发现并走得更远的愿望。
- Ascend（升腾）：象征通过火箭点火决定升空的时刻。
- Apeiron（无限）：一个古希腊词汇，意为无限，象征在远地点看到的景象。
Voting is open through August 27 to everyone ages 13 and up. “We encourage everyone… from lifelong space enthusiasts to those simply inspired by what’s possible, to participate,” reads a Virgin Galactic release. “This is a rare chance to help shape a piece of spaceflight history and to be part of a moment that will inspire future explorers for years to come. Cast your vote, share it with friends and family, and join us as we take another step toward opening space to more people than ever before.”
投票活动面向13岁及以上的所有人开放，截止日期为8月27日。“我们鼓励所有人参与——从终身航天爱好者到那些仅仅被无限可能所激励的人，”维珍银河在一份新闻稿中写道。“这是一个难得的机会，可以帮助塑造一段航天历史，并参与到一个将激励未来探索者多年时刻中来。投出您的一票，与亲朋好友分享，并加入我们，共同迈出让更多人进入太空的一步。”
Enterprise, Unity, Imagine, Inspire
企业号（Enterprise）、团结号（Unity）、想象号（Imagine）、灵感号（Inspire）
The first SpaceShipTwo was christened Enterprise during its unveiling in 2009. Selected in part to continue the tradition of using the word in the naming of Royal Navy, US Navy, NASA, and science fiction spacecraft, it was also a nod to the future role of private enterprise in the development of a spacefaring civilization. Tragically, the VSS (Virgin spaceship) Enterprise was lost on October 31, 2014, during its fourth powered test flight. Co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed in the crash. Peter Siebold, the pilot in command, survived but with major injuries.
第一艘“太空船二号”在2009年揭幕时被命名为“企业号”（Enterprise）。选择这个名字，部分是为了延续英国皇家海军、美国海军、NASA以及科幻作品中对该词的使用传统，同时也向私营企业在未来太空文明发展中的作用致敬。不幸的是，VSS（维珍飞船）企业号在2014年10月31日的第四次动力测试飞行中坠毁。副驾驶迈克尔·阿尔斯伯里（Michael Alsbury）在事故中丧生。机长彼得·西博尔德（Peter Siebold）幸存，但受了重伤。
Virgin Galactic returned to flight—and reached space for the first time—on its second SpaceShipTwo, named Unity. Sometimes referred to as VSS Voyager before the loss of Enterprise, the company chose Unity based on the messages of support that were received, urging them to continue in the wake of the disaster. One of those messages was from astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who had plans to fly to space on SpaceShipTwo. “We are entering a new space age and I hope this will help to create a new unity,” Hawking wrote and later recorded for the audio to be played back at the ship’s unveiling. “Space exploration has already been a great unifier—we seem able to cooperate between nations in space in a way we can only envy on Earth.”
维珍银河凭借其第二艘“太空船二号”——“团结号”（Unity）重返蓝天，并首次抵达太空。在“企业号”失事之前，它有时被称为VSS旅行者号（Voyager），但公司最终选择了“团结号”，以回应灾难发生后收到的支持信息，这些信息鼓励他们继续前行。其中一条信息来自天体物理学家斯蒂芬·霍金（Stephen Hawking），他曾计划乘坐“太空船二号”进入太空。“我们正在进入一个新的太空时代，我希望这能有助于创造一种新的团结，”霍金写道，并随后录制了音频，在飞船揭幕仪式上播放。“太空探索已经成为一种伟大的统一力量——我们似乎能够在太空中实现国家间的合作，这种合作方式在地球上令人羡慕。”
In March 2021, four months before Unity lifted off with Branson, Virgin Galactic debuted VSS Imagine, its first SpaceShip III. Highlighted for its modular construction to ease servicing and new mirror-like livery, it was originally intended to succeed SpaceShipTwo. VSS Inspire was also announced as the next SpaceShip III to be built, but in 2024 development was canceled in favor of the Delta-class design.
2021年3月，在“团结号”搭载布兰森升空前四个月，维珍银河推出了其首艘“太空船三号”（SpaceShip III）——VSS“想象号”（Imagine）。它以易于维护的模块化结构和全新的镜面涂装为特色，最初旨在接替“太空船二号”。VSS“灵感号”（Inspire）也曾被宣布为下一艘待建的“太空船三号”，但在2024年，该开发计划被取消，转而支持“三角洲”级设计。