News & Tech

Are you looking for a little intimate trip to see the stars? Space tourism gets cozy soon as a two-seater rocket ship capable of suborbital flights to altitudes more than thirty-seven miles above the Earth has been unveiled. Ground control to Major Tom. The Lynx is the name given to the rocket and it will weigh between 2,700 and 3,000 pounds and feature four rocket engines using liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellant.

Space Tourism Two-Seat Lynx Rocket Unveiled

While many object to the term "space tourism" Xcor Aerospace is in the race with it's spiffy little rocket ship. Xcor's announcement comes two months after aerospace designer Burt Rutan and billionaire Richard Branson unveiled a model of SpaceShipTwo, which is being built for Branson's Virgin Galactic space tourism company and may begin test flights this year.


So - how much? Xcor says it intends to be a spaceship builder, with another company operating the Lynx and setting prices. According to the Scientific American XCOR touted the Lynx's size—that of a small plane—as giving it a leg up over potential rivals. The reduced scale reduces the capital outlay required to build each spacecraft and enables the Lynx to make up to four flights daily (although two a day are more likely at first), XCOR president, Jeff Greason, said during the press conference in Beverly Hills.

Check out a series of photos here. Greason added at the presser, "If I could figure out how to hold a half passenger, I would." The smaller the better." is this the true definition of the pocket rocket? Happy flying for those fortunate enough to hitch a ride on this exciting new rocket ship.