Failing to takeoff

Some news from Singapore-

SINGAPORE (AFP) - A proposed Singapore spaceport, announced last year, has yet to get off the ground because the company is still looking for local partners to finance it, a US space travel company said Tuesday.

Eric Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Space Adventures, said his company has received interest from potential space travellers across the region -- including Japan, China and Malaysia -- but the Singapore project has yet to take flight because the company still needs local partners.

"There is not enough local support... we are still looking for local partners to help finance the Singapore project but it certainly remains a possibility and we are still working through it right now," Anderson said at the Forbes Global CEO Conference.

Space Adventures, which first made its name by sending US millionaire Dennis Tito into space in 2001, announced 18 months ago plans to develop the Singapore spaceport for suborbital space flights along with educational and tourist attractions.

It said the project, costing at least 115-million US dollars, was being undertaken with a Singapore consortium.

The announcement last year came shortly after Space Adventures said it planned a commercial spaceport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

An official of the Singapore Tourism Board last year expressed optimism that the spaceport in the city-state would quickly become a reality.

But on Tuesday Anderson said Singapore is one of several Asian countries being looked at by his company, which is also planning a facility in the United Arab Emirates.

"We are still looking at different locations but we've been working pretty heavily in the Emirates and also in Asia," said Anderson.

"It hasn't happened yet and we're obviously looking at a lot of other options but somewhere in Asia is a critical market for us and hopefully in the next few months we would find the right place to do it," said Anderson.

The suborbital spaceflight offered by Space Adventures allows the traveller to fly 62 miles (100 kilometres) above earth and experience weightlessness for about five minutes just like an astronaut, its website said.

Anderson declined to reveal the identities of the wealthy Asian individuals who have expressed interest in space travel but he said price is not an issue for the world's high-flyers.

The space ride can cost 100,000-200,000 US dollars, Anderson said.

"I have had five clients who went to space... they all said it was worth every penny and more," he said.

"We have a lot of people waiting to go."

Anderson will need alot of people to make this venture profitable. Just to recover the 115 million, he'll need 600-800 customers. Are there that many rich kooks in the world who want to see space for a few minutes and take the risk of being blown to smithereens also?(If I had the money to afford such a ticket, I wouldn't buy it.) I would think potential investors are asking themselves those questions.

Linked to- Bullwinkle, Cao, Mad Pigeon, Morewhat,