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Concept
XCOR Lynx
Summary
The XCOR Lynx was a proposed suborbital horizontal-takeoff, horizontal-landing (HTHL),
rocket-powered spaceplane that was under development by the California-based company XCOR Aerospace to compete in the emerging suborbital spaceflight market. The Lynx was intended to carry one pilot, a ticketed passenger, and/or a payload above altitude. The concept was under development since 2003, when a two-person suborbital spaceplane was announced under the name Xerus.
In January 2016, XCOR changed plans for the first flight of the Lynx spaceplane. It was initially planned for the second quarter of 2016 from the Midland spaceport in Texas, but, in early 2016, it was pushed to an "undisclosed and tentative" date at the Mojave spaceport.
In May 2016, XCOR announced development of the Lynx had been halted with layoffs of approximately one-third of the staff; the company intended to concentrate on development of their liquid hydrogen rocket under contract with United Launch Alliance, instead.
Following the bankruptcy of XCOR Aerospace in 2017, the assets of the company were sold to the nonprofit organization Build A Plane, which will focus on education rather than suborbital flight.
In 2003, XCOR proposed the Xerus (pronunciation: zEr'us) suborbital spaceplane concept. It was to be capable of transporting one pilot and one passenger as well as some science experiments. It would even be capable of carrying an upper stage which would launch near apogee and, therefore, would potentially be able to carry satellites into low Earth orbit. As late as 2007, XCOR continued to refer to their future two-person spaceplane concept as Xerus.
The Lynx spaceplane was initially announced in March 2008, with plans for an operational vehicle within two years. In December 2008, a ticket price of (equivalent to in ) per seat was announced, with flights intended to commence in 2010. The build of the Lynx Mark I flight article did not commence until mid-2013 and XCOR claimed that the first flight would take place in 2015.
Official source
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