Just in: Astrium goes into space tourism
Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Update: More at NASAwatch, including a sleak video with a silly tune.
Thinking about the advances it will help to develop leading to point-to-point transportation, it makes sense. But EADS Astrium...? Here is a quote from the BBC story:
"It will be amazing. You'll actually be outside the Earth's atmosphere; you'll be able to see Earth as a spherical object and everything else around you will be black. There must be millions of people who have dreamt about this since they were little kids,; he told the BBC.EADS Astrium says its space jet project is likely to cost a billion euros to develop. It will be looking for financial and industrial partners over the next year. It says that if development work starts in 2008, the first commercial flights could be made in 2012.
"The development of a new vehicle able to operate in altitudes between aircraft (20km) and below satellites (200km) could well be a precursor for rapid transport, point-to-point vehicles, or quick access to space," Astrium said in a statement.
"Its development will contribute to maintaining and even enhancing European competencies in core technologies for space transportation."