The world's first private-sector space flight is tentatively planned for June 21 from the United States, and aims to reach an altitude of 100 kilometres (60 miles), the flight's promoter, Scaled Composites, said Wednesday.
The SpaceShipOne prototype will be launched from California's Mojave desert. During a May 13 flight, it was the first private rocket ship to reach the record altitude of 65 kilometres (40 miles).
SpaceShipOne was designed by Burt Rutan, whose aim is to develop a rocket that can take tourists into space. The company hopes to offer a round-trip space tour for about 100,000 dollars by about 2020.
The rocket ship has carried out three test flights. On December 17, it breached the sound barrier. It made a second flight on April 8. And on May 13, it reached the record altitude for a private vessel.