Suborbital spaceplane
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A suborbital spaceplane is a spaceplane designed specifically for sub-orbital spaceflight. From late 2007, it is expected that this type of spacecraft will play a key role in early space tourism.
[edit] History
The first ever true suborbital spaceplane was the North American X-15, which first first flew above the Kármán line in 1963.
The first privately built and privately funded suborbital spaceplane was Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne, which first flew above the Kármán line in 2004.
[edit] List
- Rocketplane XP
- Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne – retired
- Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo
- Space Adventures C-21
- SpaceDev Dream Chaser
- Xerus (spacecraft)
Space tourism | ||
|---|---|---|
| Major private companies | Bigelow Aerospace · Blue Origin · EADS Astrium · Rocketplane · Space Adventures · Scaled Composites · The Spaceship Company · Virgin Galactic | Image:NASA astronaut with for sale sign on EVA - to retrieve sattlite.jpg |
| Organizations | ARCASPACE · LiftPort Group · Personal Spaceflight Federation · Space Tourism Society · Association of Autonomous Astronauts | |
| Successful spacecraft | SpaceShipOne · Genesis I · Genesis II | |
| Living in space | Space station · Space habitat · Space colonization · Commercialization of space · Suborbital spaceplane | |
| Historical events | First tourists · Ansari X Prize | |
