The owner of a private investment bank is set to be the first passenger on the first ever 'affordable' flight into space.
Danish entrepreneur, adventurer and self confessed space enthusiast Per Wimmer looks set to become the world’s first ‘affordable’ space tourist.
Scheduled for 2010, he will ride ‘up front’ in the Lynx, a 2 seater rocket powered suborbital space plane, on his landmark journey towards the stars. His return flight to an altitude of 200,000 feet is expected to take just 30 minutes.
Roughly the size of a small private jet, the Lynx is equipped to both take off and land horizontally. It will reach Mach 2 before gliding towards the edge of space, giving its passengers the chance to experience a feeling of weightlessness for several minutes and catch a glimpse of the earth and its atmosphere from above.
Co-founders of the ‘affordable’ space tourism industry, XCOR Aerospace have previously announced plans to undercut their competitors when it comes to the cost. Consequently, Wimmer’s flight into space is expected to be priced at less than $100,000. While this is undoubtedly still a significant amount it represents just a fraction of the cost of earlier ventures by space tourists.
Details of his flight with the Californian based aeronautical company are expected to be confirmed at a press release tomorrow. However, to hedge his bets, Wimmer has also reserved seats on competitor flights with Virgin Galactic and Space Adventures, scheduled for later in 2010.
Wimmer, who owns global investment bank ‘Wimmer Financial’ has undergone extensive training to prepare him for his adventures including Zero-G flying and centrifuge training.
"It's the view of the earth I'm really looking forward to, I think it will be an unforgettable experience to see the dark of space against the curve of the earth," reports the Daily Mail.
"It will be a real race to see which of them goes up first - but if it is XCOR, I will become the first affordable space tourist."
With this flight he is set to become the first Dane in space and has announced plans to one day walk on the moon. However, he has today made history for another reason; earlier this morning Wimmer successfully completed the first ever tandem sky dive over Mount Everest, landing safely after a record breaking 9 kilometer jump.
