XCOR’s announcement about its Lynx high-altitude vehicle has generated a lot of buzz about how Lynx stacks up with space tourism vehicles being developed by Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and EADS Astrium.
Officials at the Mojave, Calif.-based XCOR say their vehicle will soar to about 200,000 feet (38 miles/61 km) beginning in 2010. Although this is below the 262,500-foot (50 mile/80 km) altitude at which the U.S. Air Force has awarded astronaut wings, the pilot and passenger would still experience about 90 seconds of weightlessness in the small cockpit of the business jet style vehicle.
The company plans to offer flights for about half the cost of Virgin Galactic, which has been selling suborbital tickets for $200,000. XCOR also plans to build a more powerful version of the Lynx that will fly to over 360,000 feet (68 miles/110 km).
That is the same altitude that Virgin Galactic’s vehicle, SpaceShipTwo, will carry a two-person crew and six passengers. Tourists will be able to get out of their seats and float around the large cabin, something XCOR’s passenger won’t be able to do on the company’s first Lynx vehicle. Branson hopes to begin flights by 2010.
The two companies also vary on flight rates. Virgin Galactic plans initially to have one flight a day and eventually work up to two flights daily. XCOR plans to fly four times per day.
European aerospace giant EADS Astrium is also working on a space tourism vehicle that will carry 4 passengers and a pilot to an altitude of 328,000 feet (62.5 miles/100 km). The EADS vehicle, which will launch after 2010, will have a cabin setup similar to SpaceShipTwo in which passengers can float around. Tickets will run about $250,000.
Below are a few useful news links about XCOR.
Rocket planes seek market share
BBC News
XCOR Challenges Virgin with the Lynx Effect
The Register (UK)
Space Cadets, Grab Your Sunscreen: Space Tourism Set for Liftoff
Scientific American
Xcor’s Lynx Rocket Plane Joins Space Tourism Race
Los Angeles Times
Ride Of A Lifetime Closer Than You Think (Includes Video)
CBS
XCOR Unveils Suborbital Spacecraft Plans
Aerospace Daily
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