01/08/09, 01:27:15 UTC

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Astronautical Congress to discuss space tourism

hindu.com

EADS to speak on initiative to build space plane

HYDERABAD: An offer of $30 million to any private organisation that sends a robotic rover to moon, details of Martian dust storms and development of a new space plane for promoting space tourism are some of the “Late Breaking News” topics on which experts will throw light during the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) which begins here on Monday.

James V. Zimmerman, president, International Astronautical Federation (IAF), told The Hindu here that an “exciting aspect” of space technology was space tourism. As part of the IAC in Hyderabad, the Federation sponsored focus events such as highlight lectures and plenary events to discuss the potential of space tourism. “We do have a number of people and organisations interested in space tourism … EADS [The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company] has announced a programme for sub-orbital space tourism,” Mr. Zimmerman said. An EADS representative would speak in one of the Late Breaking News Sessions on the organisation’s initiative to build a space plane for promoting space tourism.

The X Prize Foundation, which is one of the non-profit organisations in the United States, “is extremely interested in entrepreneurial areas of space and new space initiatives,” and created a new prize for the first privately funded robotic mission to the moon. “It is not space tourism per se but a dimension of private entrepreneurial activity in space and the X Prize Foundation has expressed a desire to join our Federation. We will certainly welcome them. They will be one of the 13 candidate members who will be hopefully approved when we meet on Monday,” Mr. Zimmerman said.

The IAF already has 175 members, including national space agencies, space industries and organisations.

Philippe Willekens, executive director, IAF, said the X Prize Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Diamandis, would provide details of the $30 million prize offer for launching, landing and operating a rover on the moon’s surface, at one ‘Late Breaking News’ sessions on September 25.

The X Prize Foundation’s $10 million award called “the Ansari X Prize” for a private initiative to build a spaceship for a suborbital flight was won by Burt Rutan of the U.S. in 2004. His spacecraft made suborbital flights twice.

Jim Graf from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the U.S., will address the first ‘Late Breaking News’ session on September 25 on Martian features, including dust storms.

 Printable Version  | published Sep 25, 2007