Space the final tourism frontier
The National
Humanity must explore space not only to capitalise on huge economic opportunities, said Eric Anderson, the chief executive of Space Adventures. Our innate desire to explore means we should do it anyway.
“Decades from now, we will need to bring the resources of the solar system into our economic sphere of influence,” he told delegates to the Global Space Technology Forum being held in Abu Dhabi this week. “We need to colonise other planets.”
And Earth’s history, marked by catastrophic events that have reshaped the path of life itself, makes space exploration an even more pressing necessity. “These events will happen again,” Mr Anderson said, “and it is a prime reason why we as humans need to become a multi-planet species. To ensure our long-term survival, humans need to have more than one home.”
Middle East first off the mark in quest for space-related commercial opportunities
Business Intelligence Middle East
“The Middle East’s first Global Space Technology Forum drew towards a successful conclusion in Abu Dhabi today with world renowned space experts examining space policies and strategies for the region, and emerging commercial opportunities.”
Launched at a time the Middle East is stepping up efforts to become a serious aviation and aerospace commercial, technical and services hub, the three-day event at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre has provided a first class platform to examine the latest space technology and emerging commercial and investment opportunities.
Daniel Lyons takes a rather jaded view of Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors over at Newsweek:
“Five years after its founding, Tesla has shipped about 70 electric roadsters, and the car does in fact turn out to be a classic Silicon Valley product—it’s late and over budget, has gone through loads of redesigns, still has bugs and, at $109,000, costs more than originally planned. Tesla’s first 40 roadsters went out of the factory with a drive train that needs to be replaced. (Tesla will do the rip-and-replace for free.) Its second car, a sedan, has been delayed until 2011. Tesla, based in San Carlos, Calif., has raised $150 million and burned through almost all of it, plus millions more put down by customers in the form of deposits (the company won’t give an exact figure). Now, hit by the downturn, Tesla has laid off 20 percent of its staff, closed its Detroit office and borrowed money to stay afloat.
Continue reading ‘Musk: Telsa Doing Fine, Layoffs “Raising the Bar on Talent”’
US space-funeral company plans to launch lunar cemetery
AFP (via SpaceDaily.com)
A US funeral business that specializes in launching cremated human remains into Earth’s orbit has begun taking reservations for landing small capsules of ashes on the moon, announced the company’s founder.
“Celestis’ first general public lunar mission could occur as early as 2010 and reservations are now being taken,” said Charles M. Chafer, Celestis founder and president, in an email to AFP. “We can send up to 5000 individual capsules to the lunar surface.”
For transportation, Celestis has made deals with two other US private space companies, Odyssey Moon and Astrobotic Technology, which are currently working on making commercial flights to the moon.
Global Space Technology Forum spotlights commercial and investment opportunities in space
AMEinfo.com
Emerging commercial opportunities in space and the need for a Pan Arab space agency to cover the costs of the growing number of satellites in the region were highlighted today when a unique space industry event opened in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking on the possibility of a Pan Arab space agency and referring to the investment required to develop satellite technology and launch the satellites, [Euroconsult's Rachel] Villain said:
“At the European Space Agency (ESA), applications satellites, including telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation/meteorology, and the development of launch vehicles for access to space are funded differently for scientific satellites, i.e. by voluntary participation of the member states. More can be said about ESA as a benchmark and about the opportunity for countries in the Middle East to commit to such a project.”
Magnetic shield for spacefarers
BBC News
Future astronauts could benefit from a magnetic “umbrella” that deflects harmful space radiation around their crew capsule, scientists say.
The super-fast charged particles that stream away from the Sun pose a significant threat to any long-duration mission, such as to the Moon or Mars. But the research team says a spaceship equipped with a magnetic field generator could protect its occupants.
Lab tests are reported in the journal Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. The approach mimics the protective field that envelops the Earth, known as the magnetosphere.
UK-based Starchaser Industries has submitted a study to the European Space Agency in which it lays out plans for suborbital and orbital space tourism flights.
The company is working on its Starchaser 5 rocket, which would launch a reuseable Thunderstar capsules on suborbital flights exceeding 100 kilometers. The flights would would carry one pilot and four passengers. Occupants would experience about three minutes of weightlessness.
Continue reading ‘Starchaser Lays Out Plans for Suborbital and Orbital Tourism Vehicles’
Strong Q3 lifts EADS despite new charge
Reuters
Shares in European aerospace group EADS (Paris:EAD.PA - News) soared on Friday as it beat expectations for the third quarter and raised its 2008 profit goal, upstaging a new 341 million euro provision for delays in a top military project.
EADS also announced 200 million euros of new cost savings for 2011 and 2012 on top of existing restructuring plans and boasted a strong cash buffer against global financial turmoil.
The Airbus parent said it had swung to a quarterly operating profit, or earnings before interest and tax, of 860 million euros compared with a 711 million euro loss a year earlier. Third-quarter sales rose 6 percent to 9.701 billion euros.
SPACEDEV PRESS RELEASE
SpaceDev, Inc. reported its financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2008 with year to date revenues of approximately $28.3 million, an increase of over 11.6%, net income for the nine months of almost $500,000 and Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $2.1 million for the same nine month period.
“We are fortunate to have the industry’s most outstanding employees and I would like to thank them for their dedication and hard work which enabled these results,” said Mark N. Sirangelo, SpaceDev’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Continue reading ‘SpaceDev Reports Revenue Increase on Verge of Merger with Sierra Nevada’
SPACEHAB PRESS RELEASE
13 November 2008
SPACEHAB, Incorporated (NASDAQ/NMS: SPAB), a leading provider of commercial space services, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended September 30, 2008 of its fiscal year 2009.
First Quarter Results
SPACEHAB posted first quarter fiscal 2009 net income of $55,000, or $0.00 per share, on revenue of $6.0 million compared with first quarter fiscal year 2008 net loss of $856,000, or $.66 per share, on revenue of $8.6 million.
Continue reading ‘Spacehab Report Quarterly Net Income of $55,000; Sees Better Days Ahead’
