Curacao's $9,500 Space Flights to Take Off in 2014

Curacao's $9,500 Space Flights to Take Off in 2014
By Mariella Moon

Within the next few years, we'll see numerous space tourism projects take off. In Russia, a company plans to open up a space hotel service that sends you on a two-day trip aboard a Soyuz rocket.

The Caribbean island of Curacao, on the other hand, will start offering suborbital space flights (or flights to the edge of space) starting in 2014. And you can book a flight right now if you have $9,500 to spare.

Space Expedition Curacao and XCOR Aerospace announced the finalization of an eight-figure deal they agreed upon last year. Once the project is operation, space tourists will board XCOR's Lynx rocket planes in Curacao to take 30 minute flights to space.

A price clearly not for the Average Joe as evidenced by the number of celebrities who already signed up for a trip including Victoria's Secret model Doutzen Kroesan Francisco Giants batting coach Hensley Muelens. A total of 35 people have already reserved flights, and Curacao aims to get 15 more customers before the holiday season begins.

XCOR's test flights will commence next year using a Lynx prototype that can fly to altitudes of around 38.5 miles. By 2014, when the project is slated to launch, XCOR hopes to have a couple of Lynx Mark II rockets up and running — these rockets are more advanced than the prototype, with the capacity to fly as high as 62.5 miles.