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Space Tourism Gets New 2-Seater

Posted Mar 27, 08 11:57 AM CDT in Business,  Science & Health,  Technology 

(Newser) – California's XCor Aerospace is jumping aboard the space-tourism bandwagon with a new rocket plane, the Los Angeles Times reports. For $100,000, one passenger at a time will be able to ride the Lynx to 200,000 feet and feel about 90 seconds of weightlessness. With flight tests beginning in 2010, XCor aims to be the second company in the business.

The first is aircraft designer Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites; Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic will begin testing Rutan’s six-seater later this year. “I'm not that interested in who's first,” says an XCor founder, who expects demand despite the hefty price tag, citing the once-in-a-lifetime experience. Branson will likely charge $200,000—and the mogul says he’s already got $30 million in deposits.

Source Los Angeles Times

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A model of the Xcor Lynx aerospace rocket ship is shown during a news conference Wednesday, March 26, 2008, in Beverly Hills, Calif.   (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Retired U.S. Airforce Col. Rick Searfoss, left, gestures toward Xcor Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Jeff Greason during a news conference Wednesday, March 26, 2008, in Beverly Hills, Calif.   (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
This illustration released by XCOR shows The Lynx, a two-seat rocket ship capable of suborbital flights to altitudes more than 37 miles above the Earth.   (AP Photo/XCOR, Mike Massee)
Xcor Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Jeff Greason speaks during a news conference Wednesday, March 26, 2008, in Beverly Hills, Calif.   (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
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XCOR Lynx suborbital vehicle animation   (XCORAerospace (YouTube))
XCOR Suborbital Lynx Space Plane   (fpournelle1 (YouTube))

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Richard Branson • space tourism • Virgin Galactic • Burt Rutan • Scaled Composites


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