Russia's Myasishchev Design Bureau (MDB) is working on a feasibility study for an air-launched, 27,000kg (59,400lb), 14-passenger suborbital tourism vehicle to be flown by two pilots, according to its website.
Developed for an undisclosed Russian company, the air launch system is called Aerospace System (AKS) M-91 and uses a Myasishchev VM-T Atlant as the carrier aircraft.
The Atlant previously carried Russia's Buran space shuttle and its Energia booster. With crew and passengers in full-pressure suits the AKS M-91 would operate from "South-East Asian and Arabian" equitorial launch sites.
Initially reaching a 100km (62 miles)-plus apogee, MDB says that future iterations of the vehicle could achieve 150km altitude.
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Above: Myasishchev Design Bureau's Aerospace System M-91 concept |