Space Experience Curacao Announces Lease of Suborbital Spacecraft
Space Experience Curacao Announces Lease of Suborbital Spacecraft
Space Experience Curacao (SXC) and XCOR Aerospace, Inc. said that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the wet lease of a production version of the Lynx suborbital spacecraft, pending United States government approvals to station the vehicle on the island of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles. With a planned start date in January 2014, SXC will market, and XCOR will operate, suborbital space tourism flights and scientific research missions out of Space Port Curacao.
Recently, the Curacao government and airport authority announced their intentions of investigating and creating the conditions suitable for forming a commercial space flight services industry. An investigation of the legal and regulatory framework necessary to enable a robust flight services industry in Curacao has commenced. Investment in the spaceport infrastructure and operator has been committed and made by Curacao Airport Holding, N.V., the company responsible for overseeing Curacao airport operator. SXC is the entity chosen by the Curacao government and airport holding company to create a robust suborbital space flight business focused on research missions, space tourism, and science & technology education. SXC has in turn selected the XCOR Lynx as its vehicle of choice for Curacao operations.
XCOR Aerospace is a California corporation located in Mojave, Calif. The company is in the business of developing and producing safe, reliable and reusable rocket powered vehicles, propulsion systems, advanced non-flammable composites and other enabling technologies. XCOR is working with aerospace prime contractors and government customers on major propulsion systems, and concurrently building the Lynx, a piloted, two seat, fully reusable, liquid rocket powered vehicle that takes off and lands horizontally. The Lynx production models (designated Lynx Mark II) are designed to be robust, multi-commercial mission vehicles capable of flying to 100-plus kilometers in altitude up to four times per day and are being offered on a wet lease basis.
