NEW YORK, Dec 30 — The Lynx passenger spacecraft built by XCOR Aerospace is close to completion, the company said.

The spacecraft is a piloted, two-seat vehicle designed to fly one passenger to space and back in 30-minutes. The company is currently selling seats for US$95,000 (RM304,000).

The spacecraft takes off horizontally, like an airplane. Fifty seconds after the engines are lighted the aircraft goes supersonic and very close to a vertical position. Then it travels at three times the speed of sound and three minutes after lighting the engines the craft is at 180,000 feet. It then turns off its engines and coasts to peak altitude of 350,000ft.

A minute and a half is needed to coast back down, enter the Earth atmosphere, and then approximately 20 minutes are used for the aircraft to glide and land horizontally.

According to XCOR Aerospace, the Lynx is still undergoing tests. The first launch should take place within the next six to 18 months. Once it is completed and safely tested it should be able to fly multiple times per day.

XCOR is developing three versions of Lynx, a prototype called Mark I and two more advanced models called the Mark II and Mark III. The tickets for a trip in the Mark II are currently being sold for US$100,000.

XCOR Aerospace is not the only company investing in space tourism and suborbital spaceflight business.

Virgin Galactic is selling tickets to ride its two-pilot, six-passenger SpaceShipTwo for US$250,000 each. — Reuters

Dwarf planet Ceres is seen in the main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, as illustrated in this undated artist's conception released by NASA January 22, 2014. — Reuters pic