XCOR: Economy Class Space Tourism?

By Nancy Atkinson - March 26, 2008 at 5:24 PM UTC | Space Exploration
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XCOR Aerospace has thrown its hat into the space tourism ring, unveiling its two-seat suborbital spaceship, the Lynx. With its first flights scheduled for 2010, XCOR’s projected price per ticket will be half of what other suborbital companies like Virgin Galactic and Rocketplane are charging. But the Lynx’s flight will also be about half the duration and about two-thirds the altitude of the other companies. At $100,000, a seat on the Lynx is not exactly cheap, but its possible this lower price could cause a price war with the other space tourism companies, which is good news for anyone considering taking a suborbital flight.

“XCOR’s mission is to radically lower the cost of spaceflight, because affordable access to space for everyone means far more than breathtaking views and the freedom of weightlessness,†said XCOR CEO Jeff Greason.

The spaceship, roughly the size of a small private airplane, will be capable of flying several times each day. The Lynx will carry a pilot and one passenger at twice the speed of sound to about 60 km (37 miles) above the Earth. The entire flight would last about a half an hour, with 2 minutes of zero gravity. It will take off and land like an airplane at a conventional airport, and use clean-burning, fully reusable, liquid-fuel rocket engines to reach Mach 2.

“We have designed this vehicle to operate much like a commercial aircraft. Its liquid fuel engines will provide the enhanced safety, durability, reliability and maintainability that keep operating costs low,†said Greason. “These engines will also minimize the impact of these flights on the environment. They are fully reusable, burn cleanly, and release fewer particulates than solid fuel or hybrid rocket motors.â€

“Lynx will be the ‘Greatest Ride Off Earth,’†said XCOR test pilot, former NASA astronaut and Space Shuttle commander, Col. Rick Searfoss. “The acceleration, the weightlessness, and the view will provide you with an experience that is out of this world. And the best part of it all is that you’ll ride right up front, like a co-pilot, instead of in back, like cargo.â€

Here’s XCOR’s You Tube video for a preview of what the flight will be like:

XCOR also announced that the company has won Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract with the US Air Force to develop and test operationally responsive features of one of the firm's commercial vehicles.

For more about XCOR.

Original News Source: XCOR Press Release

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com