Space Tourism Wars

Virgin Galactic and Space Adventures, the two first space tourism firms, now have company.

Rocketship Tours of Phoenix, Arizona will be selling flights to the edge of space aboard a craft being built by XCOR Aerospace. And the flight is a comparatively cheap $95,000. But there’s a catch.

Not Quite Into Space

The flights will go to a height of 38 miles, short of the recognized start of space at 62 miles up. Virgin Galactic flights, at $200,000 will take passenger into space, to experience weightlessness a true astronaut’s-eye view.

Whata View!

The XCOR craft, Lynx Mark 1, which has yet to have even a test flight, would carry passenger high enough to get about 90 seconds of weightlessness (but not from being in space) and a great view of the curved earth and jet-black sky.

Flights may start in 2011. Early passengers will be flown by former shuttle astronaut Rick Searfoss, who will be piloting the flights.

Space Adventures: The Real Thing

Of course, neither Virgin Galactic, nor Rocketship Tours are close to offering the experience of orbital flight and trips to the International Space Station, which Space Adventures has been selling. Of course, those orbital flights come with a hefty price tag—estimated at $30 million.

Read more coverage from MSNBC.