eads

EADS Plans Space Tourism Jet

Filed under: Wings

The aircraft above may look a bit like a normal airplane but it is actually a space jet outfitted with rocket engines. EADS Astrium unveiled plans for the jet, which is designed for space tourism, last week and plans to show off a full-scale model at the air show in Paris this week. The jet will take passengers into weightless flight more than 62 miles above the Earth. The first flight is scheduled for 2012 and tickets are expected to cost $199,000 to $265,000. A ticket buys you three minutes of weightlessness and the chance to gaze down on the Earth and is part of a burgeoning space travel boom that includes major players such as Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos.

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Tags: astrium, eads, expire-images:2008-6-17, rockets, space, space jet, space tourism, weightlessness