This illustration released by XCOR shows a two-seat rocket ship capable of suborbital flights to altitudes more than 37 miles above the Earth. The Lynx, about the size of a small private plane, is expected to begin flying in 2010, according to developer Xcor Aerospace, which planned to release details of the design at a press conference on Wednesday. (AP Photo/XCOR, Mike Massee)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Another company plans to get into the space
tourism business.
California firm Xcor Aerospace today will unveil its design of a
two-seat rocket ship that can carry tourists on suborbital flights.
The Lynx is about the size of a small private plane and Xcor says
it will be capable of reaching altitudes more than 37 miles above
the Earth.
The announcement comes two months after aerospace designer Burt
Rutan and billionaire Richard Branson unveiled a model of
SpaceShipTwo, which is being built for Branson's Virgin Galactic
space tourism company.
Xcor says the Lynx is designed to take off from a runway like a
normal plane, reach a top speed of Mach 2 and an altitude of
200,000 feet, then descend in a circling glide to a runway landing.
It's expected to begin flying in 2010.