First Canadian Spaceport To Be Located In Nova Scotia

The maritime province of Nova Scotia set aside 300 acres of government-owned land on Cape Breton for a $200 million dollar (USD)  spaceport.

PlanetSpace, the US-Canadian company that will construct the port, plans to develop and promote space tourism. Construction is scheduled to start within the next twelve months. The spaceport should be ready for its first suborbital launch by the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009.

The suborbital flights will carry passengers on 15-minute rides into space. On the trip, passengers will get to experience four and a half minutes of weightlessness. Although this is a cutting-edge concept, the vehicle – Canada‘s Arrow Rocket – dates back over 60 years, to the German V2 rocket of World War II (to which it bears a strong resemblance). The moniker “Arrow” is a tribute to the old Avro Arrow jet fighter of the 1950s.

The province of Nova Scotia supports the plan, but there are still some regulatory hoops to jump through with Transport Canada, that nation’s transportation regulatory agency. So far, however, they have been supportive. Geoff Sheerin, CEO of PlanetSpace, says that environment-friendly ethyl alcohol will be used to fuel the rockets. “Our fuel comes from corn,” Sheering says. “Even if it gets in the water, it dissipates very quickly with no damage to the environment. It’s a green rocket, so to speak.”

Via New Scientist

The maritime province of Nova Scotia set aside 300 acres of government-owned land on Cape Breton for a $200 million dollar (USD)  spaceport.

PlanetSpace, the US-Canadian company that will construct the port, plans to develop and promote space tourism. Construction is scheduled to start within the next twelve months. The spaceport should be ready for its first suborbital launch by the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009.

The suborbital flights will carry passengers on 15-minute rides into space. On the trip, passengers will get to experience four and a half minutes of weightlessness. Although this is a cutting-edge concept, the vehicle – Canada‘s Arrow Rocket – dates back over 60 years, to the German V2 rocket of World War II (to which it bears a strong resemblance). The moniker “Arrow” is a tribute to the old Avro Arrow jet fighter of the 1950s.

The province of Nova Scotia supports the plan, but there are still some regulatory hoops to jump through with Transport Canada, that nation’s transportation regulatory agency. So far, however, they have been supportive. Geoff Sheerin, CEO of PlanetSpace, says that environment-friendly ethyl alcohol will be used to fuel the rockets. “Our fuel comes from corn,” Sheering says. “Even if it gets in the water, it dissipates very quickly with no damage to the environment. It’s a green rocket, so to speak.”

Via New Scientist