Singaporean
firms will be building a 'demonstrator' model for a French firm for the launch
of its first commercial space flight by 2017
Singapore will play a key role in helping a
French space company launch its first commercial space flight.
For starters, home-grown companies will be
roped in by Astrium, the space arm of French aerospace giant European
Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, to build and launch the
"demonstrator" model of the space plane by the end of the year.
Next month, Master of Business Administration
(MBA) students from four business schools here will compete to come up with the
best business model for the space plane operator.
Astrium, which aims to launch its first
commercial space flight by 2017, is turning to Singapore because of the
Republic's "significant potential" to grow space tourism, said the
firm's Asia representative, Martin Robillard, yesterday.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the
two-day Global Space & Technology Convention here which ends today.
Robillard disclosed that Astrium is
"finalising deals" with Singapore companies to design and build the
small-scale demonstrator space plane, which will be about 3m to 4m long.
It is understood that a deal is likely to be
inked at next week's Singapore Airshow.
As part of the agreement, the expertise of
local researchers and engineers will be tapped to design the avionics of the
space plane and test its aerodynamics and glide capability.
The demonstrator space plane will have no
engines, unlike the actual aircraft which will use turbofan engines as well as
a rocket engine. The test flight by the year-end will thus require a helicopter
to lift the demonstrator model about 3km off the ground, and then drop it to
see how it glides.
Astrium has not disclosed where it will base
its fleet of space planes but Singapore's Changi Airport has been marked as a
possibility. If the plans do take off, it could rival British billionaire
Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, which is to launch the world's first
commercial space flight next year.
Already, the British space-tourism airline has
sold nearly 500 tickets worldwide, with nine being bought by customers here.
They include a Singaporean businessman, his wife and two children who
reportedly paid US$1 million for four seats on the historic flight.
Passengers on the Astrium space plane, which
can take up to four passengers and a pilot, will have to pay about 200,000
euros ($265,600) each for an hour-long ride that includes 10 minutes of
weightlessness.
MBA students from Essec, Insead, the National
University of Singapore and the Singapore Management University might just have
a say in how Astrium's business will be run. Their plans will have to include
the costs of building and maintenance of the space planes, as well as the
recruitment of pilots.
They will be judged by Astrium's executives,
as well as top executives from Singapore's Economic Development Board, ST
Aerospace and the Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA).
Jonathan Hung, SSTA's president, said this is
a "perfect opportunity" to showcase Singapore's new generation of top
business minds and promote space tourism in Singapore.
Jermyn Chow
The Straits Times
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment