XCOR Aerospace received $5 million in private financing, enough to take the company through production of its suborbital space vehicle. Providing funds for Mojave-based XCOR were Esther Dyson, angel investor and philanthropist, Pete Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, venture capital consultant Stephen Fleming, and others. Dyson and Fleming were named to the XCOR board of directors. The company was able to raise the money because it has demonstrated a compelling value to investors and customers, said XCOR founder and CEO Jeff Greason. XCOR is developing the Lynx space vehicle to take a single passenger and scientific payloads into suborbital altitudes. “Our $60-plus million backlog of orders for Lynx suborbital vehicles, flights on the Lynx and our unique reusable non-toxic rocket engines gives the investor community reason to take notice,” Greason said in a prepared statement. Mark R. Madler
