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Arabia
U.S. company plans $265 million spaceport in UAE
2006-02-19
From the Dept. of Are You Sure You Thought This Thing Through?
A day after Space Adventures announced it was in a venture to develop rocket ships for suborbital flights, the company said Friday it plans to build a $265 million spaceport in the United Arab Emirates.
And surely the Emiris would NEVER nationalize anything as trivial as a spaceport, yes?
The commercial spaceport would be based in Mos Eisely Ras Al-Khaimah near the southern end of the Persian Gulf, and the UAE government has made an initial investment of $30 million, the Arlington, Va.-based company said in a statement.
Arlington, VA, where less than five years ago a civilian aircraft was commandeered and deliberately driven into the Pentagon. How soon we forget.
The spaceport announcement comes on the heels of Space Adventures' new partnership with an investment firm founded by major sponsors of the Ansari X Prize to develop rocket ships for suborbital flights. The agreement between Space Adventures and the Texas-based venture capital firm Prodea would help finance suborbital vehicles being designed and built by the Russian aerospace firm Myasishchev Design Bureau.
And here's Russia in the mix. I'm feeling better and better about this. Not.
Posted by:Seafarious

#14  ...and Allah knows best.
Posted by: Seafarious   2006-02-19 14:56  

#13  A UAE spaceport and UAE port security in the US. Have we lost our minds? We are going transfer a little space technology to the UAE and allow an UAE company to run our port security? What, pray tell, would happen if someone shows a cartoon of Muhammad to one of the port security officials or at the spaceport?

Posted by: Jake   2006-02-19 12:40  

#12  Investors in Dir al Islam---one is born every minute.
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-02-19 12:27  

#11  Wow Frank, did you use the way back machine for that reference?
Posted by: Doc8404   2006-02-19 12:14  

#10  as opposed to the Cult of Clutch Cargo
Posted by: Frank G   2006-02-19 12:01  

#9  And surely the Emiris would NEVER nationalize anything as trivial as a spaceport, yes?

You know, this actualy makes a kind of sense, we have those 6 seaports they want to buy, they would have a spaceport.
Sounds like interconnecting assets, we hold yours, you hold ours kinda thing.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2006-02-19 10:33  

#8  Suborbital suicide bombers. Terrific.
Posted by: Darrell   2006-02-19 10:22  

#7  Cargo cult
Posted by: DMFD   2006-02-19 10:13  

#6  Forgot about the Sheboygan Wisconsin Spaceport Get in early, lots are going fast.
Posted by: 6   2006-02-19 10:11  

#5  Lotta spaceports popping up now. Florida, Texas New Mexico. Now the UAE.... um anyone lauched anything yet? Any concrete plans to?

Step this way to see the future site of the golf course overlooking the future spaceport. Buy your lots now before the hoi and the poloi hear about it.
Posted by: 6   2006-02-19 10:08  

#4  didnt michael jackson invest in a spaceport in france back in the late 80's? maybe its him investing here now?
Posted by: ShepUK   2006-02-19 08:35  

#3  Would the UAE be able to run a thing as complicated as a spaceport without American expertise? And wouldn't the construction company have the plans on file in case it were necessary to take care of things.... later?
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-02-19 06:18  

#2  Tours to the sun departing hourly.
Posted by: ed   2006-02-19 01:38  

#1  Their is a massive conspiricy going on. Except its not a US one. Its a muslim oil money one.
Posted by: 3dc   2006-02-19 00:54  

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