New fleet of private spaceships announced

Posted on: Feb. 17th, 2006 || Source: newscientistspace.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

The company that has already arranged for three space enthusiasts to visit the International Space Station is building a global team to develop a fleet of commercial suborbital spaceships, dubbed Explorers.

On Friday, Space Adventures in Virginia, US, announced its plans to build a $265 million spaceport in the United Arab Emirates, with prospects for additional ports in Singapore and North America.

The news comes a day after Space Adventures announced its partnership with Prodea and the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation to create a fleet of suborbital space vehicles for commercial purposes. Prodea is a private investment firm located in Texas, US, founded by the Ansari family who sponsored the $10 million Ansari X Prize for private suborbital spaceflight.

"This joint venture will enable millions of people to realise their dreams of spaceflight," say Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures, and Anousheh Ansari of Prodea.

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