Virgin Galactic announced today that George T Whitesides, Executive Director of the National Space Society, has been appointed Senior Advisor of the Virgin Galactic as the company revealed. Virgin Galactic is on track to become the world’s first spaceline.

Founded by Sir Richard Branson, the company was established to undertake the challenge of making private space travel available to everyone.

Will Whitehorn, President of Virgin Galactic, said “George is recognized as a leader in the U.S. space policy and business communities, and has been a strong advocate for the developing personal spaceflight industry. We are pleased to have him join our team in this capacity.”

As Senior Advisor, Whitesides will provide guidance on regulation, markets and government relations, as well as provide general advocacy for the commercial spaceflight industry and the company.

His appointment strengthens the company’s presence in the United States, in preparation for the transfer of Virgin Galactic’s operations to the US.

Whitesides remarked, “Virgin Galactic is leading the way to commercial space flight for the public. The next few years will be a critical period for the industry and I look forward to helping Virgin Galactic make history.”

He will continue his duties as Executive Director of the National Space Society during this appointment as Senior Advisor to the company.

Whitesides began his career at Orbital Sciences Corporation, a leading manufacturer of space vehicles and satellites. As Vice President of Zero Gravity Corporation, he helped launch that company’s weightless flight service, now a thriving space tourism business. As the Executive Director of National Space Society, he leads the largest public space organization focused on human space flight.

Virgin Galactic has collected over US$25 million of customer deposits and plans to begin flying private passengers as early as 2009. The company has partnered with Burt Rutan to commercialize the revolutionary spaceship technologies pioneered during Scaled Composites’ successful campaign to win the X Prize.