The
launch of a new era un space travel
The business jet sized craft is designed to carry four passengers 100 km
up into space giving more than three minutes of "zero G" or
weightlessness.
The
objective of a first flight is in 2011 from Tunisian Spaceport.
After takeoff the plane reaches an altitude of
12 km. This classical aeronautical phase can last for 45 minutes. The pilot
shuts down the jets and starts the methane oxygen rocket engine at the rear of
the vehicle. The plane then raises along a vertical trajectory. For 90 seconds
of flight with a top speed of Mach 3, the plane is rocketed upwards. The
maximum acceleration is 3 g. At an altitude of 60 km, the
rocket engine is shut down and the plane continues to climb up to a maximum
altitude of 100 km.
More Information: EADS Astrium
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