ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates has been moving toward its
first space tourist flight.
The UAE has selected the first tourist for space flight. The tourist,
identified as UAE national Adnan Al Maimani, would board the
suborbital space flight from the emirates.
The UAE spaceport project has been headed by Space Adventures, based in
Vienna, Va. The U.S. firm plans to build the commercial spaceport at the Ras
Al Khaimah International Airport. No date has been set, Middle East Newsline reported.
The venture has been financed by the Dubai emirate of the UAE. Dubai has
sought to become the aerospace hub of the Gulf region.
"Since we made the initial announcement last month of our partnership
with His Highness Sheik Saud and the development of a spaceport in Ras Al
Khaimah, we have received thousands of inquires from individuals in the Gulf
region, specifically the UAE, who are interested in commercial
spaceflight and want to fly," Space Adventures president Eric Anderson said.
The suborbital space transportation system has been designed by Russia's
Myasishchev Design Bureau, a leading Russian aerospace organization.
Explorer, the platform, would have the capacity to transport up to
five people to space.
The system consists of a flight-operational carrier aircraft, the M-55X,
and a rocket spacecraft. The vehicle was designed to optimize the customer
experience of space travel.
