S3 (Swiss / aka Hermes/X-38) ready by 2017?

[SoCalEric]

Just noticing this:

http://www.sen.com/news/swiss-offer-new-spaceport-for-satellites.html
http://www.s-3.ch/home

Maybe the swiss could buy the retired shuttle carrier (once) rumored to be Houston-bound.

According to the article:
  Company Name : Swiss Space Systems ("S3")
  Rationale: current price of launch to LEO = $160,000 / kg to LEO.
  Their Intended price : $40,000 / kg.
  Unmanned winged return vechicle mounted to top of Airbus A300
  Separation at 33,000 ft
  Payload to LEO : 250 kg
  Dev Cost : $260m (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
  Income : $10m per launch (2017- )

  B.E. @ 26 launches.
  $/kgLEO : $10m / 250kg --> $40,000 / kg

Perhaps Paul Allen could convince them to completely modify their A300.

Who thinks this (a) will fly, (b) if so, when, and (c) at what dev cost?
I wonder, what payload could _unmanned_ versions of Lynx MIII or SpaceshipTwo get into LEO if modified for that purpose?

[Jim]

Maybe the swiss could buy the retired shuttle carrier (once) rumored to be Houston-bound.

Not rumored, it did go.  And it is not available

[Nomadd]

 If there was a real market, the F1e would probably still be alive. The idea that they could develop, build and launch 26 of these for $260 million is beyond ludicrous.

[Port]

This is ridiculous. Switzerland is much too small a country to have a space industry. Is this a belated April fool's joke?

i hope this comment is somewhat of an april fool's joke

who did say that the size of a country is important to its (commercial!) space industry?
the concept is as (arguably) "sound" as the whole stratolaunch-story, switzerland has enough private money to pull it off by any means

is it a good idea? with respect to the fate of F1e probably not

[Oli]

There's already a thread on this: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=31278.0