They'll Produce Small Payload Launch Vehicles For Sub-Orbital Travel

Studies show that 70 percent of Americans would buy a flight into space if they had the chance and the cost was reasonable. Now a cooperative agreement between Beyond-Earth Enterprises and XCOR Aerospace will develop greater accessibility to space for everyone in a safe, reliable, and affordable manner. The agreement will allow Beyond-Earth to purchase manufactured components from XCOR for standardized production of small payload launch vehicles. Beyond-Earth Enterprises is a commercial firm dedicated to making small payload launches affordable. XCOR Aerospace is a small, private company aimed at producing rocket engines and rocket powered vehicles.

"This is the first step toward making space accessible for commercial ventures," said Joe Latrell, CEO of Beyond-Earth Enterprises. "We want to be instrumental in creating standardized production components. When an airline company or package delivery service needs a new vehicle, they don't build it, they buy it from a company who specializes in airplane or truck production."

Latrell said Beyond-Earth is highly motivated to encourage the average American to reach for space again. "We want the public to realize that they could go to space someday very soon," he said.

"Now is a great time for cooperative arrangements like this," said XCOR CEO Jeff Greason. "The commercial applications from scientific research to space tourism are within reach. Cooperation such as this is essential to making that happen. Beyond-Earth and XCOR will each focus on their areas of expertise while expanding the overall market for space related products."

Under the agreement, XCOR focuses on rocket engine development, one of its core strengths, while Beyond-Earth concentrates on developing inexpensive alternatives to existing space launch systems and help revitalize the American public's interest in space. Beyond-Earth and XCOR expect this unique alliance to prove the reliability, safety, and affordability of complete rocket systems. The combined goal is to produce profitable, low-cost transportation vehicles capable of Earth orbit.

FMI: www.xcor.com, www.beyond-earth.com