Six minutes in space: yours for HK$1.7m
Space travel firm opens HK office to find rich Asian 'astronauts' to sign up for its tours - including Chinese after a US ban was lifted
Twelve rich Asians, possibly including some from Hong Kong, will be among the first people to travel to space in mid-2015 - but only for five to six minutes.
The Space Expedition Corporation (SXC), based in the Netherlands, has set up an office in Hong Kong in an effort to use the city to explore business in Asia and China. "In a few years, Asia and China … will make up about 30 to 35 per cent of our total sales. In this coming year, we expect to sell 50 to 80 tickets in China," SXC chief executive Michiel Mol said yesterday.
The company will send its first batch of 100 "astronaut" customers from around the world into space with its two-seater Lynx Mark II spacecraft in mid-2015. Twelve places are reserved for the Asian market.
The Asian price to be one of the first 100 "astronauts" is HK$1.68 million, including return flights to and from the spaceport on the Caribbean island of Curacao and having their names engraved on a monument at the spaceport. About 250 people, many from Western Europe, have already signed up, including Victoria's Secret supermodel Doutzen Kroes.
But not all will actually travel into space - defined as at least 100 kilometres from the earth's surface. Some have opted for the cheaper "near space" programme in which they will fly to 60 kilometres above sea level and pay a mere HK$735,000.
Those who want to travel into real space but baulk at the price will be able to make the 100-kilometre ascent for HK$775,000, provided they can wait until the first 100 have made the journey.