- Lynx rocketplane
The Lynx rocket plane is being developed by the California-based company
XCOR to compete in the future suborbital space flight market.Fact|date=July 2008 The Lynx is projected to carry one pilot and a ticketed passenger above 60km altitude.Fact|date=July 2008Description
The Lynx will have four liquid rocket engines at the rear of the
fuselage burning non-toxic propellants. [cite web | url = http://www.xcor.com/press-releases/2008/08-03-26_Lynx_suborbital_vehicle.html | title = XCOR AEROSPACE SUBORBITAL VEHICLE TO FLY WITHIN TWO YEARS | publisher = XCOR Aerospace]Operations
According to XCOR, the Lynx will operate several times a day, and will also have the capacity to deliver payloads into space. The Lynx is currently scheduled to have its first flight in 2010. XCOR currently plans to have the Lynx's initial flights from the Mojave Air and Spaceport in
Mojave, California . [cite web | url = http://www.space.com/news/080326-xcor-lynx-spaceplane.html | title = XCOR Unveils New Suborbital Rocketship | publisher = SPACE.com] Because it lacks any propulsion system other than its rocket engines, the Lynx will have to be towed to the end of the runway. Once positioned on the runway, the pilot will ignite the four rocket engines and begin a steep climb. The engines will be shut off at approximately 138,000 feet and Mach 2. Thespaceplane will then continue to climb, unpowered until it reaches anapogee of approximately 200,000 feet or 61km. The spacecraft will experience a little over four minutes of weightlessness before reentering the Earth'satmosphere . The occupants of the Lynx may experience up to four times normal gravity during reentry. Once it has completed reentry, the Lynx will then glide down and perform an unpowered landing. The total fight time is projected to last about 30 minutes. [cite web | url = http://www.xcor.com/press-releases/2008/images/lynx-flight-profile.pdf | title = Lynx flight profile | publisher = XCOR Aerospace]References
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