Space will become new tourist sites with the growing space tourism industry. A Dutch company plans to launch tourists into space from California and the Caribbean islands in 2014. XCOR Aerospace developed the Lynx, a suborbital spacecraft to carry passengers reached the outer part of the atmosphere at an altitude of 100 kilometers.
The aerospace company which is based in Mojave, California, plans to conduct its first operational flight from Mojave Spaceport in 2013. XCOR officials added that the next flight will be carried out on the Curacao island in the Caribbean a year later.
Although the new Lynx undergo a number of tests, hundreds of people have signed up as a passenger aircraft that has a capacity of two people. Last year, Nelson announced plans to launch the space shuttle Lynx in 2014. On that occasion, he said the partnership with Space Expedition Corporation (SXC).
The Lynx XR-5K18's main engine firing at XCOR's base at the Air and Space Port in the Mojave Desert. (Picture from: http://www.wired.co.uk/)
The Dutch space tourism company, formerly known as Space Expedition Curacao, will act as a marketing agent of the Lynx flight. As part of the agreement, SXC will be responsible for the Lynx passenger seat sales from Mojave and Curacao island, the Netherland's Caribbean region.
The Lynx Mark II spacecraft with a pocket rocket, with a top speed of mach 3 and a crew for 2 and science experiments or storage is a spacecraft designed for tourism or science research in zero gravity. (Picture from: http://moonandback.com/)
"Today we are in the horizon of new space era," said Nelson. "The old way space Exploration which is designed by the government slowly began to pass, and new commercial space industry was born." The Lynx aircraft which has only two seats are designed to carry one pilot and one passenger. "Make the journey more profound and very personal," says Nelson. The reusable aircraft that used to fly up to four flights a day and is able to take off and land on the general airport runway.
"Saying 'the sky is the limit' is now no longer valid," said Abdul Nasser El Hakim, Economic Development Minister of Curacao. "In Curacao, we say 'space is the limit.'" Nasser may have a point. XCOR is not the only company that is interested in developing the industry up to space.
Not long ago a watchmaker company, Luminox announced a partnership with SXC to make a special watches for the company space tourists. The watches are now being developed in order to be able to withstand the pressure of gravity (G-force) that occurred during the flight.
Tickets for the one-time trip aboard the Lynx going through the atmosphere will be sold at a price of U.S. $ 95 thousand. XCOR officials said the price includes the cost of a training session before flying to prepare the passengers in their journey.
Ticket prices may look very expensive. But it was much cheaper than the price that is offered by a competitor, Virgin Galactic, for example, they set a price of U.S. $ 200 thousand for a single seat on their suborbital rocket plane, SpaceShipTwo. Virgin Galactic's has completed its first flight test in late April 2013 and began flying the tourist into space by the end of 2013.
With lower prices, said Michiel Mol, CEO of Space Expedition Corporation, XCOR and SXC hopes to make commercial space flight is able to reach many people. As of 2012, XCOR and SXC has received 175 reservations from clients who want to fly into space using the Lynx.
XCOR even give special discounts for participants of the Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 2013 in Broomfield, Colorado, which took place on June 3-5, 2013. The participants can submit two experiments into space at a price of one ticket, aka 50 percent discount. "With the lower cost of sub-orbital flight, experiments can experience microgravity and exposure vacuum conditions in space," said Nelson. "Compared rockets, the Lynx aircraft flight is much cheaper, easier, and are available several times a day flight."
Khaki Rodway, XCOR payload marketing director, said this offer will pave step toward the suborbital research era. "With this opportunity you can fly the experiments and obtain results quickly," he said. Later, Nelson said, flying into space will be open to everyone. "Space on the past is something that you can only see and admire without being able to participate in it. Now, we can go to see it in person. I'm sure it will revolutionize the way we perceive space and how we create a new industry," he said.
According to Rick Searfoss, a former NASA astronaut and space shuttle commander and XCOR's chief test pilot, when the sub-orbital vehicle development and commercial orbital continue aggressively developing opportunities for private industry to be unlimited. "Generally speaking, the world does not realize how fast it will happen," said Searfoss. "We can not imagine where this change will bring us. Anyone know where we can go, where we were at 20 to 30 years from now." *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | XCOR | WIRED | SPACE | TJANDRA DEWI | KORAN TEMPO 4289]
Space will become new tourist sites with the growing space tourism industry. A Dutch company plans to launch tourists into space from California and the Caribbean islands in 2014. XCOR Aerospace developed the Lynx, a suborbital spacecraft to carry passengers reached the outer part of the atmosphere at an altitude of 100 kilometers.
