The European company (EADS) that builds the Ariane rockets used for commercial satellite launches has announced it has already completed the design for a combination jet/rocket plane that will provide tourists a brief ride into space.
The innovative design will use conventional jet engines to get the spacecraft off the ground, then use a rocket engine to take it to the fringes of space for a short ride. EADS plans to charge about $267,000 for a ticket for a ninety minute ride, and expects to make money from the venture with an estimated four to five thousand customers a year by 2020.