Commercial spaceflight is entering the main stream and looking (and smelling) quite good!
United Kingdom-based Unilever Group and Space Expedition Corporation announced a 22 flight purchase on XCOR Aerospace’s LynxÆ Mark II suborbital spacecraft for Unilever’s space-themed AXEApolloô campaign for the AXEÆ brand of men’s cologne, body spray, shower gels and other personal care products.
Unilever will award the first flight to a lucky winner selected from a drawing just after the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, and the 21 other winners will come from a year long, 60 country promotional campaign. That larger campaign includes a 100+ person December 2013 space camp for early stage winners in Orlando called the AXE Apolloô Space Academy. The campaign also includes legendary Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin and a 30 second Super Bowl advertisement. For a chance to win, register at www.AXEApollo.com.
“When a global brand leader like Unilever makes a significant commitment to a product like our LynxÆ, it is a clear sign that commercial spaceflight has entered the main stream of worldwide commerce and truly is the Next Big Thing,” stated Andrew Nelson, Chief Operating Officer of XCOR Aerospace, “Expect to keep seeing more good news from SXC as they ramp up in 2013!”
XCOR Aerospace is based in Mojave, Calif.
It is creating a new Research and Development Center in Midland, Texas and operational base at Cape Canaveral, Florida. XCORÆ builds safer, reliable and reusable rocket-powered vehicles, rocket engines, advanced non-flammable composites and rocket piston pumps. XCORÆ works with aerospace prime contractors and governments on major propulsion systems, while also building LynxÆ a piloted, two-seat, fully reusable liquid rocket-powered vehicle that takes-off and lands horizontally.
The LynxÆ family of vehicles serves three primary roles including: research & scientific missions, private spaceflight, and micro-satellite launch (only on the Lynx Mark III). Lynx production models (designated Lynx Mark II) are designed to be robust, multi-mission (research / scientific or private spaceflight) commercial vehicles capable of flying to 100+ km in altitude up to four times per day. Flights may be purchased from www.spacexc.com. Lynx vehicles are also available to customers in the free world on a wet lease basis.
