XCOR Aerospace

Announced in July 2002 and refined through 2007, the Xerus was XCOR Aerospace's proposed one-pilot, one-passenger suborbital spaceplane designed for horizontal takeoff and landing from conventional runways. It targeted altitudes of approximately 100 km with projected operational costs around $500,000 per flight, serving markets including passenger spaceflight, scientific research, and microgravity payloads. The concept was also envisioned as capable of carrying a small upper stage to loft satellites into low Earth orbit. Xerus was eventually superseded by the Lynx spaceplane, which XCOR officially unveiled in March 2008.