Flight Daily News

Spaceports to meet suborbital tourism need

Two new spaceports are to be built in the USA and the United Arab Emirates to cope with the increasing demand for space tourism.

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson and UK entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson will today announce details of a $225 million spaceport in the White Sands region of the state, close to where the first atomic bomb was tested.

One hundred people have already paid $200,000 apiece for Virgin Galactic’s promised 2.5h flights that are scheduled to begin around 2009.

Space Adventures, best known for sending three fee-paying space tourists to the International Space Station, has also announced plans to build a $265 million spaceport in the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE government has made an initial investment of $30 million for the venture, which will be based at Ras Al-Khaimah near the southern end of the Arabian Gulf.

The announcement follows the signing of an agreement between Space Adventures and the Texas-based venture capital firm Prodea, which will help finance suborbital vehicles being designed and built by Myasishchev.

Blog:
Read Rob Coppinger's view on the new race between Virgin Galactic and Space Adventures to provide suborbital tourism for the world's rich.