Space Adventures to offer new tourist flights
Space tourism company Space Adventures plans to offer suborbital flights from spaceports in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) using its Russian-built Explorer vehicle. Carrying up to five people, the Explorer will be developed by Russian design bureau Myasishchev in a deal for an undisclosed sum.
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Design beaureu Myasishcev will develop a suborbital craft |
“We will not disclose the development schedule until it is finalised. [We] have the utmost confidence that…we will enable operations of the world’s first commercial suborbital flights,” says Space Adventures president and chief executive officer Eric Anderson. The Explorer is based on Myasishchev’s four-person, air-launched C-21 rocket.
Space Adventures, which has already arranged for several tourists to visit the International Space Station on Russian Soyuz launches, is developing the Explorer in a joint venture with investment firm Prodea, set up by the Ansari family that sponsored the X Prize suborbital competition. Under a separate deal, Russia’s Federal Space Agency is to supervise Myasishchev.
On 20 February, Space Adventures announced plans for a $115 million spaceport near Singapore’s Changi airport.
That came three days after the UAE government announced it would build a $265 million spaceport at Ras Al-Khaimah International Airport for Space Adventures.
Virgin Galactic aims to operate suborbital flights in late 2008 from California’s Mojave airport, and from New Mexico’s spaceport in 2009. SpaceShipOne, X Prize winner and precursor of Vigin’s SpaceShipTwo, flew into space twice in two weeks in 2004.
ROB COPPINGER / LONDON
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Read Rob Coppinger's view on space tourism as the New Mexico government races against Singapore and the UAE to host the world's first spaceport
Source: Flight International
