Bob Geldof set to become first Irishman in space
Bob Geldof is going into space. The former Boomtown Rat will become the first Irishman to leave the atmosphere, joining DJ Armin van Buuren and 98 other “founder astronauts” on commercial flights next year.
“Being the first Irishman in space is not only a fantastic honour but pretty mindblowing,” Geldof said in a statement. “Elvis may have left the building but Bob Geldof will have left the planet! Wild! Who would have thought it possible in my lifetime.”
The Netherlands-based Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) has set out to fill at least 100 spots for its first commercial spaceflights, selling tickets for $100,000 (£64,000) apiece. Each flight lasts for just one hour, launching from the Caribbean island of Curaçao and reaching an altitude of about 100km (62 miles). Because the Lynx Mark II spaceship has room for only two people, including the pilot, each wealthy astronaut will make the journey separately.
Geldof joins a passenger list that already includes Van Buuren, “the first DJ in space”, and lingerie model Doutzen Kroes. Van Buuren allegedly received his ticket for free. SXC’s salespeople are reportedly hoping to lure Chinese millionaires on board.
In many ways, Geldof and van Buuren’s SXC flights are in a race with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. Celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Brad Pitt have apparently paid $250,000 each for a ticket aboard Virgin’s SpaceShipTwo, which carries six passengers. Just last week, the company’s test vessel made a successful flight to a height of 13 miles. It also plans to begin commercial flights next year.
Source: The Guardian
