Plans Are To Fly XCOR's Lynx Suborbital Spacecraft

At least one traditional airline is testing the space tourism waters. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced to the Netherlands press Wednesday that they were embarking upon a new relationship with Space Experience Curacao (SXC). The airline will be supporting future suborbital flights through purchases, inclusion in their frequent flyer program, inclusion in future KLM vacation packages to Curacao, and other yet-to-be-named support.  The flights will be made on the XCOR Lynx suborbital spacecraft.

Last month SXC and XCOR Aerospace jointly announced the intent of SXC to lease a production version of the Lynx suborbital spacecraft, pending U.S. government approvals to station the vehicle on the island of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles.  With a planned start date in January 2014 SXC and now KLM will market and sell flights.  XCOR will provide operational support for the vehicle at Space Port Curacao.

On the front page of De Telegraaf, the largest circulation Dutch newspaper, KLM Chief Executive Officer Peter Hartman said of the new relationship and suborbital spaceflight: "It is a fantastic project that totally fits the pioneering spirit of KLM." This history includes operating the longest regularly scheduled air service in the world throughout the 1920s, and opening their first transatlantic service in 1934 between Amsterdam and Curacao.

SXC Founder and former Royal Netherlands Air Force Chief of Staff Ben Droste referred to the exploration and entrepreneurial spirit the Dutch have demonstrated for over five centuries and noted their logical extension to space. "This is a project that completely fits our VOC tradition (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, aka the Dutch East India Company). The Dutch have successfully traversed the world's seas, pioneered long distance air travel, and now have set our sights on space."

XCOR's CEO, Jeff Greason noted, "XCOR is very pleased that the market's acceptance of Lynx is accelerating. Our approach to space travel offers the simplicity, low cost structure, environmental sensitivity, history of accomplishment, and excitement that clients want in their spacecraft company."

FMI: www.spaceexperiencecuracao.com, www.xcor.com