Mojave Aerospace Ventures developed SpaceShipOne. It was co-founded by Paul Allen.
Seems odd this wasn't mentioned in the article.
Very odd, as this is effectively SpaceShipThree.
Not a clone of SpaceShipOne, a new carrier aircraft that is a derivative of White Knight / White Knight 2 and a new rocket that is a close relative of the Falcon 9. The "special" part is that nobody has done that before, and it may prove to be a worthwhile endeavor.