GSSF: XCOR ready to bring space tourism to UAE

Andrew Nelson, COO of US-based XCOR Aerospace, was at the Global Space and Satellite Forum in Abu Dhabi, to persuade Emiratis that its Lynx spaceplane could offer a viable alternative to Virgin Galactic.

 

The Lynx is XCOR’s entry into the commercial reusable launch vehicle (RLV) market. The two-seat, piloted space transport vehicle will take humans and payloads on a half-hour suborbital flight to 100 km (330,000 feet) and then return safely to a landing at the takeoff runway – which doesn't have to be specially prepared.

 

This means that it could quite easily operate out of airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or anywhere else in the region.

 

Like an aircraft, Lynx is a horizontal takeoff and horizontal landing vehicle, but uses its own fully reusable rocket propulsion system. This approach differs from the Virgin Galactic approach whose craft has to be “dropped” at altitude from a jet-powered mothership.

 

The Lynx and its aircraft-like capabilities will allow up to four flights per day, with fast turnaround between flights, low cost operations and maintenance (O&M).

 

The Lynx has an all-composite airframe with an added thermal protection system on the nose and leading edges to handle the heat of re-entry from the edge of space.

 

It is about 9 meters (30 feet) in length with a double-delta wing that spans about 7.5 meters (24 feet).

 

Andrew Nelson (above) said: “The satellite and space industry has not followed the dramatic growth seen in the computer industry. This is due to availability, pure and simple.

 

“A reusable space plane, that lands and takes off conventionally, would be a big boon, not only to the space tourism industry, but also for research and space science.”

 

XCOR is planning to provide Lynx under “wet lease” agreements, whereby it provides the complete system. This avoids technology transfer problems associated with selling rocket technology.

 

It has already signed an agreement with a company in Curacao, which will provide a space tourism business from around 2014.

 

Nelson hopes that Middle East companies will jump at the chance to buy into the Lynx project and is also looking for technology partners, especially in advanced composites.

 

“We use a liquid rocket propulsion system, which is safer and cleaner than solid rocket technology and Lynx is ideal for science missions and carrying nano-sats to LEO using a Lynx-mounted expendable launcher,” he said.