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This undated image provided by XCOR shows the XCOR Lynx, a suborbital horizontal-takeoff, horizontal-landing, rocket-powered spaceplane under development by the California-based company XCOR. The company has spent years developing a rocket plane named Lynx that is intended to be capable of making multiple flights each day with a pilot and one passenger aboard. Unlike Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, the Lynx will take off under its own power from a runway, climb toward space and then glide back to a runway landing. XCOR also plans flights surpassing an altitude of 62 miles. In December, the company said it reached a milestone in development of the Lynx propulsion system by successfully using waste heat to drive essential engine parts, eliminating the need for large and heavy tanks of compressed gas. XCOR, now headquartered in Midland, Texas, also reported progress late last year in completing structural components of its first Lynx as well as a flight simulator system for pilot training. The company says it has more than 350 clients. The price of booking a seat rose from $100,000 to $150,000 on Jan. 1, but the company has not said when flights will begin. “The fact is that we are in a process in which you just can't rush things”, Lynx test pilot Harry van Hulten said in press release last fall. (Photo by XCOR via AP Photo)
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