Chinese engineers say that have designed a spacecraft able to fly up to 20 tourists into outer space.
Team leader Han Pengxin from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing says his organization has designed a simple one piece spaceplane that can be adjusted to carry varying numbers of passengers to between 100 meters and 130 meters above the earth’s surface. Space officially begins at 100 meters.
“The vehicle will take off vertically like a rocket and land on the runway automatically without any ground or on-board navigation,” Han said.
Test flights are tipped to begin in 2020 with flights for people to begin as soon as it was deemed safe. Cost for each person is estimated to be between US$200,000 and US$250,000.
The Academy says it will produce two versions – one with a six metre wingspan that could carry five passengers to 100 meters and provide two minutes of weightlessness, another twice as wide that could carry 20 passengers to 130 meters and provide four minutes of weightlessness.
