Updated at 11:21 a.m., Monday, August 27, 2007
Hawaii-connected space tourism firm suffers setback
Advertiser Staff
Rocketplane Kistler Inc. has laid off some employees and told certain suppliers to stop working on a proposed reusable rocket to serve the International Space Station, according to the Wall Street Journal.The closely held Oklahoma City firm has failed to raise the hundreds of millions of dollars required to keep the project on track and remain eligible for further U.S. government assistance.
Kistler also has been developing a so-called spaceplane, targeted at providing suborbital flights for anticipated space tourists and other uses. The company has been in talks with the state about developing a space-themed education and training facility at Kalaeloa. The facility would support suborbital space flights originating from Honolulu and landing at Kona International Airport in Keahole.
Kistler could not begin such flights until the state obtains a Federal Aviation Administration spaceport license and the state has yet to apply for such a license.
