A Canadian aerospace firm has kept a very eyebrow-raising name its hypersonic space plane that will be launched in 2022. The plane has been named “Sexbomb” for some reason. Space Engine Systems (SES) announced that it wants to launch the plane in Manitoba, as per the press release. The vehicle will be used to test the spacecraft engine prototype from the company.
Speaking of the odd name, it could be possible that the company just wanted a catchy name to create a buzz around it. “The kinetic energy at Mach 5 is very high,” Pradeep Dass, president and CTO of the company, told Futurism. “It will act like a bomb if [it] hits anything. It is sexy, so it is a sexbomb.”
Planning crewed missions by 2025
The company notes that the demo will involve the plane being dropped from a huge balloon at 110,000 feet in the air. The plane will fall at almost twice the speed of sound before firing up its engines and speeding to more than 3,700 mph before landing.
The company’s website states that the engine will make use of a multi-fuel combustion system “non-toxic liquid and solid propellants.”
While the company earlier planned for a test flight in 2021, it is now expected to launch it in 2022 due to the regulatory approval process, reports The Manitoba Post. The company wants to launch crewed missions by 2025, though the tickets will cost only a third of what it costs for other space tourism companies.
Other potential space ventures
Speaking of other space ventures, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin wants to build a commercial space station in low-Earth orbit. The space company revealed its ambitious plan at the International Astronautical Congress in Dubai on October 25. The space station will be named Orbital Reef and would be hosting astronauts from around the world.
It will be used for scientific experiments in microgravity conditions. The company has also released a video that shows how the space station would be useful as an in-space manufacturing facility and provide accommodation for tourists. The company claims to provide “exotic hospitality” service to people who visit it.
