Alan Boyle reports from the Countdown to the X-Prize Cup private spaceflight symposium in New Mexico. Read the whole thing, but of particular interest in these parts is this update on the Da Vinci Project, Kindersley, Saskatchewan’s, best hope to become a spaceport:
In the latter days of the X Prize competition, the Canadian Da Vinci Project was considered SpaceShipOne’s closest competitor, but once the prize was won, the Da Vinci team faded from view. At Thursday’s symposium, Da Vinci team leader Brian Feeney said his timetable now called for a balloon-launched spaceflight by the end of next year — setting the stage for commercial flights.
He also said he was speaking with potential partners in Las Vegas, Dubai and Japan about creating a global ‘mission control center’ that would follow suborbital flights and serve as a tourist destination.
However, Feeney acknowledged that his funding from the Golden Palace Internet casino had run out. ‘We’re back in financing mode, and that will determine how we will progress,’ he said.
