posted 03-26-2008 12:18 AM               

Editor's note: In an effort to keep the topic XCOR Aerospace's Lynx suborbital spacecraft focused on status updates, reader's feedback and opinions are directed to this thread.

Please use this topic to discuss the development of XCOR's Lynx.

posted 03-26-2008 12:18 AM               

XCOR Aerospace of Mojave, Calif., the latest entrant to the derby to blast thrill-seekers into the upper reaches of the atmosphere, is expected to unveil plans Wednesday for a rocket-powered vehicle that is substantially smaller, slower and less expensive to build than any of those proposed by rivals. With tickets projected at $100,000 a pop, the low-fare carrier to the heavens would hardly be cheap.

Anticipated to cost less than $10 million to build and to be more compact than many propeller planes used by recreational pilots, XCOR's Lynx vehicle is intended to carry a pilot and a single passenger at twice the speed of sound to about 37 miles above the earth. The entire outing, which would begin and end at a conventional airport and include about two minutes of suborbital zero gravity, would take less than half an hour.

...at Wednesday's news conference in Los Angeles, XCOR's management and private backers also are expected to announce a symbolic first in combining private and federal efforts. The Air Force Research Laboratory has agreed to use the Lynx as a platform to test the performance of space hardware in an actual zero-gravity environment. Instead of investing hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars to build a satellite and then worry about how various components or subsystems will work in orbit, military officials are looking to leverage private investment to assess reliability during brief suborbital missions. By balancing private investment with federal dollars, XCOR has focused on steady growth and shied away from overly optimistic projections.

posted 03-26-2008 09:41 AM               

So for half the price of Virgin Galactic's ticket, you get just slightly more than half the altitude.

posted 03-26-2008 01:12 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
So for half the price of Virgin Galactic's ticket, you get just slightly more than half the altitude.

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It is a nice design that reminds me of the Convair spaceplane designs of the 1950's, as well as the old Soviet and HL-20 ideas.

It is a good idea for a research craft.

posted 03-26-2008 02:33 PM            

However, the press releases and media stories I am seeing about this seem to be a little loose with their language. With the media, misreporting is understandable, but the company's press releases should always be accurate and honest. With the releases given above, I have concerns in this regard.

An aerospace vehicle that can only reach 37 miles high, while being able to replicate many spaceflight conditions (brief zero gravity, above most of earth's atmosphere, technology needed for such high altitude flight) is still far, far short of being 'in space'. About 40 kilometers short, in fact, under standard definitions, and short by all others that I know of.

So calling it a 'suborbital spaceship' repeatedly in press releases is, surely, misleading in its accuracy? For a company looking to attract investment and business, this kind of easily-checked fact is important. Unless I am missing something?

posted 03-26-2008 04:20 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by FFrench:
From the information I see above, this vehicle incorporates many of the technologies needed for suborbital spaceships. But in terms of its flight envelope, it has no more right to use that name than, say, a Boeing 747. It simply does not fly suborbitally in space.

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In the future, XCOR aims to roll out a more powerful version of the Lynx, featuring dual engines so it can climb higher and different composite materials able to withstand higher temperatures during descents. Such a spaceship also could be optimized to launch small satellites for a fraction of what it now costs the Pentagon, government scientists or academic researchers to put such payloads into orbit. On the tourism side, XCOR hopes to entice somewhat less well-heeled prospective customers than those targeted by Mr. Branson. Simplicity and small size, XCOR officials argue, will trump extravagant cabin interiors and aggressive marketing tactics. "The best part of it all," says Rick Searfoss, a former Space Shuttle commander and now an XCOR test pilot, is that passengers "will ride up front, like a co-pilot, instead of in the back, like cargo."

posted 07-06-2017 01:53 PM               

In a statement provided to SpaceNews July 5, Michael Blum, a member of the company's board of directors who is also serving as acting chief executive, said some "critical" employees would be retained as contractors as the company attempts to stay alive.

"Due to adverse financial conditions XCOR had to terminate all employees as of 30 June 2017," Blum said in the statement. "XCOR management will retain critical employees on a contract basis to maintain the company's intellectual property and is actively seeking other options that would allow it to resume full employment and activity."

Blum did not disclose how many employees were laid off or how many would be kept on as contractors. In May 2016, XCOR laid off nearly half of its 50 to 60 employees as it devoted its resources to a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine the company was developing under contract with United Launch Alliance.

At that time, XCOR said it was suspending work on Lynx, a two-seat suborbital spaceplane the company had been working on for several years to serve the space tourism and research markets.

posted 11-09-2017 11:09 AM               

The filing will lead to the liquidation of the 18-year old company, whose engine technology was designed to power the two-person Lynx suborbital space plane XCOR was building. The vehicle, which was designed to take off and land on a runway, was only partially completed before most work on it stopped last year.

Court records indicate XCOR has assets worth between $1 million and $10 million and liabilities ranging from $10 million to $50 million. The estimated number of creditors range from 100 to 199.