Lynx – Sporty Space Travel

This personal transport will take you to into space for around 25 minutes.

The Lynx, about the size of a small private plane, is expected to begin flying in 2010, according to developer Xcor Aerospace.

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.

Xcor intends to be a spaceship builder, with another company operating the Lynx and setting prices.

The Lynx is designed to take off from a runway like a normal plane, reach a top speed of Mach 2 and an altitude of 200,000 feet, then descend in a circling glide to a runway landing.

“We have designed this vehicle to operate much like a commercial aircraft,” Xcor Chief Executive Officer Jeff Greason said in a statement.

Greason said the Lynx will provide affordable access to space for individuals and researchers, and future versions will offer improved capabilities for research and commercial uses.

This certainly beats having a Lear Jet – although as it’s a ‘sports car’ for space there’s only room for 2 people, or 1 person and luggage?