Page 34 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2014 Online Magazine

COLUMN DR SANAL KAUL

Space Tourism, Spaceports and

Space Governance

By Dr. Sanat Kaul

SPACE TOURISM IS NOW EMERGING has created a new lot of innovator- down to another part of the earth, they
next big thing. In early 20th century entrepreneurs. Foremost among them are called sub-orbital flights. So the time
when civil aviation was a new developing is Sir Richard Branson who has set up taken say from Singapore to New york,
mode of travel Warsaw Conference was a company called Virgin Galactic in the which on a direct flight takes 14 hours
convened in 1929 to provide for a liability US and has started selling refundable will be cut down to 2 to 3 hours.
system for commercial airlines and tickets for Space tourism at US$250,000 A lot of work is going on in
Chicago Conference in 1944 leading to for a flight upto 100km vertical to development of such spacecrafts of
the Chicago Convention, which provided show earth from space and experience various types.
for international air law as well as the weightlessness. While US is leading The US Government initiated the
setting up of International Civil Aviation in private efforts by entrepreneurs like process of future commercial space
Organization(ICAO). Branson, Biglow, Burt Rutun etc who travel by enacting the Commercial Space
Since then civil aviation has grown have set up startup companies, Russian Launch Act as early as in 1984 and has
into a major means of international and Space Agency has also entered the arena given the administrative responsibility
domestic mode of transport and is also by sending space tourist from Baikonour of framing rules and regulations to FAA.
the safest. Growth with safety of civil Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a FAA has set up the office of Commercial
aviation is a major achievement facilitated commercial flights to the International Space Transportation and has licensed
by ICAO and other international aviation Space Station(ISS) up at about 330 km in already five spaceports in the US. It
related bodies like IATA, CANSO ACI etc. the space on their space vehicle Soyuz for has also authorized some spacecraft
In a similar manner there is now a need about US S 20-30million. The first space manufacturers. Not to be left behind and
to regulate aerospace travel. tourist went to ISS in 2001 on a Russian in preparation of sub-orbital flight both
X Prize Foundation had set up a Soyuz spacecraft for a weeks’ stay was Singapore and UAE have jumped on the
prize of US$10 million Ansari X Prize Dennis Tito, a US national. Since then band wagon with US collaboration and
modeled after Orteig Prize. The prize over half a dozen space tourist have are setting up spaceports in their cities.
required a non-government organization visited ISS. Presently, the cost of a return
to launch a reusable manned spacecraft Commercial space Sub-orbital flight ticket for space tourism flight is
into space up to 100 kilometers above is the next big thing, after Space tourism, about US$95,000 to US$200,000.
earth’s surface twice within two weeks. which will change the way we travel. The price will certainly come down.
77 years after Charles Lindberg won Direct non-stop fights across the globe Spaceport Singapore will provide in
the Orteig Prize for flying non-stop take about 14 hours. However, a sub- addition to Space flights a wide range
from New york to Paris, Burt Rutan of orbital flight covering the same distance of space and high altitude experience,
Scaled Composites won the X Prize on will take about 2-3 hours. This will mean weightlessness, space walks etc
October 4th ,2004 using the experimental that the new aero-space craft will go up Commercial Space travel will soon
spaceship SpaceShipOne. into near space at about 100 km vertical be a billion dollar industry. Taking a lead
After this prize spaceflights no and the come down. Since these vehicles the Institute of Air and Space Law (IASL)
more remains the exclusive domain will go up nearly vertically up to about of McGill University in Montreal has
of government sector. In fact, this 100 km but not orbit the earth and come already convened annual Conferences
for creating an enabling environment for
Commercial space Sub-orbital flight is the serious engagement and comprehensive
next big thing, after Space tourism, which will deliberations to take place on all aspects
of global space governance.
change the way we travel. Direct non-stop
fights across the globe take about 14 hours.
However, a sub-orbital flight covering the (Dr Sanat Kaul is Chairman of International
Foundation of Aviation, Aerospace and
same distance will take about 2-3 hours. Development(India Chapter). He was the
former Representative of India to ICAO.)
34 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM