XCOR Lynx
Cancelled American spacecraft / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 100 kilometres (62 mi) altitude. The concept was under development since 2003, when a two-person suborbital spaceplane was announced under the name Xerus.
Function | Crewed suborbital launch and reentry |
---|---|
Manufacturer | XCOR Aerospace |
Size | |
Stages | 1 |
First stage | |
Engines | 4 |
Thrust | 2,900 pounds |
Propellant | LOX-kerosene |
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,[1] but, in early 2016, it was pushed to an "undisclosed and tentative" date at the Mojave spaceport.[2]
In May 2016,[3] 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.[4]
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.[5]