Airbus Employs AS350 for South China Sea SpacePlane Tests

摘要

Airbus Defence and Space has employed an Airbus Helicopters AS350 B3e Ecureuil operated by its sister company as part of the latest tests of its SpacePlane demonstrator. The SpacePlane is a suborbital vehicle which is designed to take off and land from a runway. The SpacePlane is being designed to carry four passengers to an altitude of 100 km (about 62 miles) into space. The business jet-sized vehicle would take off and land conventionally from a runway using its jet engines and at an altitude of about 12 km, the rocket engine would be ignited.