True, developers of the seven-seat vehicle called Altairis have run extensive computer simulations of design and flight, according to Lewis Reynolds in West Palm Beach Fla., who is president and chief operating officer of AERA Corp.
Reynolds, a recent addition to the space community with a background in investment and financial management, said in an interview with UPI's Space Race 2 that flying from the cape not only will give AERA access to pre-existing launch facilities and established support services, but also should help buff up the firm's professional persona by associating with the U.S. Air Force and agreeing to a certain level of government insight and program oversight.
Safety - and affordability - are the keys to what dozens of upstart space tourism businesses are betting will become a massive market in the coming years.
"If we can get the safety to a point that's equivalent essentially to what commercial aviation is today - and if we can get the prices that are affordable to most people that will allow them to experience the flight - then I think there will be tremendous demand for it," Reynolds said.
Its five-foot-diameter passenger capsule separates from the launcher, peaks at an altitude of about 72 miles (110 kilometers), then descends via guided parafoil to a horizontal touchdown on inflatable airbags.
He did say the program as a whole costs more than the reported $20 million that Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen paid to develop the world's first private space vehicle, SpaceShipOne, which flew to sub-orbital altitudes with a single pilot aboard three times last year.
With a license to use SpaceShipOne technology, and with Branson's deep pockets to fund development, Reynolds is sure Virgin Galactic will be among the firms flying people to space.
"I think there's room for multiple competitors in the space market - in fact, quite a few multiple competitions, just as there are many airlines today," he said.