Dubai to Beijing in one hour? Suborbital flights could offer ultra-fast trips

A Chinese startup is looking to launch suborbital flights that could see passengers darting between Dubai and Beijing in just one hour.

The Government of Dubai Media Office tweeted a Yahoo article that reports Space Transportation's plans to "revolutionise suborbital flights and compete directly with airlines by offering ultra-fast trips into space".

An animated video on the company's website shows what the 7,000km, the 60-minute journey between Beijing and Dubai would look like.

It shows passengers scanning their boarding passes at a port in Beijing before an air hostess ushers them into the suborbital flight. The spacecraft is in a horizontal position as passengers board it. After boarding is complete, it assumes a vertical take-off position before blasting into space with the help of a rocket.

It shoots out to the edge of space, even as passengers do what they would do on a typical flight: Check their devices or take in sights from the aircraft's windows. The video then shows the flight approaching the Dubai airspace, complete with the Burj Khalifa and the Emirate's skyline. The spacecraft then lands vertically at a port. As passengers disembark and head to the port, the flight takes off once again, presumably off to another destination.

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sahim@khaleejtimes.com