* Astronomy

Space Adventures, Ltd., an America-based space experiences company, together with a Singapore-based consortium, announced on Monday that it plans to develop an integrated spaceport in Singapore that will offer suborbital spaceflights, as well as operate astronaut training facilities and a public education and interactive visitor centre.

"Singapore is one of the best-connected countries in the world. It is home to one of the world's busiest air and sea ports. Singapore, with its superior geographical and economic infrastructure, is primed to be the hub of a new, revolutionary form of travel – in space" - Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures

Apart from sub-orbital space flights, which will cost 100,000 U.S. dollars per person, the spaceport is also expected to offer zero-gravity flights, high performance jet flights for gravity-force and high altitude training, space camp, as well as an astronaut-for-a-day program.
Estimated to cost at least 115 million U.S. dollars, which will be partially funded by the private sector including Singapore-based companies and the Crown Prince of Ras Al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, the facility is scheduled to be ready by 2009 in the vicinity of Singapore's Changi Airport.

Space tourism has enormous commercial possibilities with the market potential for sub-orbital space flights alone being estimated at 1 billion U.S. dollars annually, according to Eric Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Space Adventures.

The world-class centre of commercial, educational and tourist attractions will generate 3 billion Singapore dollars (about 1.8 billion U.S. dollars) in business and create an additional 5,000 jobs over 10 years in the island state.

Established in 1998, Space Adventures is the only company in the world that has sent private citizens to space.

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