Fri, Nov 19, 2010
Plans Are To Fly XCOR's Lynx Suborbital Spacecraft
At least one traditional airline is testing the space tourism
waters. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced to the Netherlands press
Wednesday that they were embarking upon a new relationship with
Space Experience Curacao (SXC). The airline will be supporting
future suborbital flights through purchases, inclusion in their
frequent flyer program, inclusion in future KLM vacation packages
to Curacao, and other yet-to-be-named support. The flights
will be made on the XCOR Lynx suborbital spacecraft.
Last month SXC and XCOR Aerospace jointly announced the intent
of SXC to lease a production version of the Lynx suborbital
spacecraft, pending U.S. government approvals to station the
vehicle on the island of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles.
With a planned start date in January 2014 SXC and now KLM will
market and sell flights. XCOR will provide operational
support for the vehicle at Space Port Curacao.
On the front page of De Telegraaf, the largest circulation Dutch
newspaper, KLM Chief Executive Officer Peter Hartman said of the
new relationship and suborbital spaceflight: "It is a fantastic
project that totally fits the pioneering spirit of KLM." This
history includes operating the longest regularly scheduled air
service in the world throughout the 1920s, and opening their first
transatlantic service in 1934 between Amsterdam and Curacao.
SXC Founder and former Royal Netherlands Air Force Chief of
Staff Ben Droste referred to the exploration and entrepreneurial
spirit the Dutch have demonstrated for over five centuries and
noted their logical extension to space. "This is a project that
completely fits our VOC tradition (Vereenigde Oostindische
Compagnie, aka the Dutch East India Company). The Dutch have
successfully traversed the world's seas, pioneered long distance
air travel, and now have set our sights on space."
XCOR's CEO, Jeff Greason noted, "XCOR is very pleased that the
market's acceptance of Lynx is accelerating. Our approach to space
travel offers the simplicity, low cost structure, environmental
sensitivity, history of accomplishment, and excitement that clients
want in their spacecraft company."
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