INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Virgin Galactic has signed a deal with two Italian aerospace companies to open a commercial spaceport in the country
If all goes well, the first paying passengers could be fastening their spacesuits as early as 2020.Virgin has joined forces with ALTEC a
public-private company owned by the Italian Space Agency and Thales Alenia Space, and SITAEL, Italy's largest privately owned space company,
to build a new base in the south of the country.Italy's National Civil Aviation Authority, Enec, picked the Taranto-Grottaglie Airport in
the south of the country as the best location, and the three companies are working on a plan to convert it into a base for commercial
The plane will be available to the Italian Space Agency, plus any private individuals with enough cash and a taste for adventure.There's no
official timeline yet, but ALTEC's CEO Vincenzo Giorgio says that the spaceport could be active in just two years' time.Italy isn't the only
European country with an eye on space tourism
rockets.The principle is much like SpaceX's Falcon 9, which has dramatically lowered the cost of rocket launches and is intended to
eventually send paying passengers to the moon.Via The Verge
