The pilot and passenger would experience weightlessness at the apex of the flight. And from that altitude they will be surrounded by the darkness of space and see the curvature of the earth with the sandy beaches and turquoise waters of Curacao 62 miles below.

The cost of a single ride is expected to be $98,000.

Based in Mojave, California, XCOR is developing the Lynx and plans to begin test flights in 2011. Initial space flights will take place from the Mojave Air and Space Port before offering rides from other locations. The company also has an agreement to offer rides in South Korea beginning in 2013.

Mojave continues to be a hotbed of space-tourism development. The team down the flight line at Scaled Composites is busy with flight tests leading up to the first glide flight of SpaceShipTwo.

After a small landing-gear incident with the mother ship Eve back in August, the team is moving forward with flight testing. According to the company website, the latest flight of Eve yesterday included a dry run of the SpaceShipTwo release and several simulated SS2 approaches to the runway.

Virgin Galactic’s founder, Sir Richard Branson, recently announced he expects the first tourist flights on SpaceShipTwo to take place within 18 months.

Photo: XCOR Aerospace

Authors: Jason Paur

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