Astrium Continues to Work on Suborbital Space Plane

Space tourism jet work continues
BBC News

The plane, which would make short hops above the atmosphere, was announced in 2007 and then almost immediately put on hold because of the global downturn.

But Astrium, Europe’s largest space company, says internal development work continues and it will spend a further 10m euros (£9m) on the concept in 2011.

“We keep the investment going,” said Astrium CEO François Auque.

“We continue to mature the concept, maintaining the minimum team, in order that when we find the relevant partnership we are ready and have progressed sufficiently,” he told reporters on Wednesday at the company’s rocket manufacturing facility at Les Mureaux just north of Paris.

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