Tue, Jul 14, 2009
But State Funding Troubles May Delay Licensing
People think of Hawaii as an exotic destination, to be sure, but
some in the state what that to just be the beginning of some
high-end tourists' Island experience. And more than just
sightseeing trips to the fringe of space, some are envisioning the
use of the commercial suborbital spacecraft as a way to shuttle
travelers from Hawaii to Japan in just 45 minutes.
The Associated Press is reporting that several space tourism
companies are looking at Hawaii for operations. The companies all
propose spacecraft that take off and land like a conventional
airplane as part of their business model. About the size of a
standard business jet, they would climb to about 40,000 feet under
conventional power before firing the rockets that would take them
to an altitude of about 62 miles. The price tag of about $200,000
would include a week's training camp and a few parabolic flights to
give customers a taste of microgravity before the actual
flight.
But Hawaii, like so many other states, is experiencing financial
difficulty, and may be forced into layoffs from state government,
so Governor Linda Lingle may be reluctant to spend the half million
dollars the state authorized for the licensing procedure. The bill
authorizing the expenditure can become law without her signature,
but she would still have the authority to not spend it.
Hawaii could become the 8th state to be licensed for a
commercial spaceport, according to AP. The process takes about 3
years, and includes extensive environmental study. Promoters of the
idea say because the spacecraft burn mostly liquid oxygen and
synthetic jet fuel, there would be very little environmental
impact. Existing runways would be used for space tourism. A company
called Rocketplane is reportedly in the process of designing the
horizontal-takeoff-and-landing spacecraft, and expects to begin
building the first prototype at its facility in Burns Flat, OK in
2011.
Rocketplane Mockup File
Photo
And the cost of the trip? Some Hawaiian officials think some who
already spend big bucks to come to the islands won't have any
qualms about ponying up an additional couple of hundred thousand
for what some might call the ultimate "E-Ticket" ride. Jim
Crisafulli, the state's director of aerospace development, said
simply "They wouldn't bat an eye at spending that amount of money
to fly to space."
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