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Space Cruiser System - Vela Technology Development

The Space Cruiser System (SCS) vehicle is being marketed for space tourism flights beginning in December 2001 by Space Adventures of Arlington, Virginia which acquired the Seattle-based Zegrahm Space Voyage in November 1999. The SCS vehicle was being designed and developed by Virginia-based Vela Technology Development, Inc. to carry six passengers on a sub-orbital flight reaching an altitude of just over 100 km.

SCS is a two-stage horizontal-takeoff-and-landing design that employs both airbreathing and rocket engines. The first stage booster, or "Sky Lifter," will be piloted by a two-member crew and will be powered by two JT8D/F100-class jet engines.

The Sky Lifter is designed as a conventional jet aircraft with a 30-meter delta wing and will a dry mass of approximately 10,000 kg. The Space Cruiser second stage spaceplane will be carried underneath the Sky Lifter. The Space Cruiser will measure 18.3 meters from nose to tail and will weight about 11,800 kg with fuel and passengers. The two stages will climb together to about 15 km where the Space Cruiser, carrying two crewmembers and six passengers, separates and will climb to 100 km using its three nitrous oxide/propane-fueled rocket engines. During re-entry into the atmosphere, the Space Cruiser will fire retro-rockets to slow the vehicle's descent and then will activate two JT15D-class turbo-jet engines to return to a landing site.

As of late 1999 all preliminary testing had been successfully completed and Vela Technology is awaiting funding to proceed to the next phase of the development and construction. As of late 1999 a first test flight was anticipated to take place in late 2001. Vela Technology Development and Space Adventures had received over 60 requests for reservations ($5,000 deposit and $1,000 a month) since they started marketing operations in October 1997 and are planning a first voyage for 2003.

Vela Technology Development intended to build two sets of operational vehicles and planned to initially operate two launches per week. In November 1997, Vela named AeroAstro LLC as the prime contractor for the SCS system.