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Australia's most prominent astronaut Andy Thomas has criticised Sir Richard Branson's plan to send paying travellers into space describing it as, "go nowhere, dead-end technology".
Key points:
- Dr Andy Thomas made the comments while spruiking the new space agency
- He described the Virgin Galactic space craft as "dangerous"
- Premier Steven Marshall said he wanted Sir Richard Branson's venture to come to SA
Last week, Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic tourism spaceship climbed more than 80 kilometres above California's Mojave Desert in a test flight.
It was the first time it reached, what the company considers, the boundary of space.
The English billionaire has also said he would love to establish a third spaceport in Australia, and his team plans to talk to the newly-formed Australian Space Agency about the possibility.
However, today at a press conference in Adelaide, astronaut Andy Thomas — who was a key part of South Australia's pitch to be the space agency's home — said he was not comfortable with how Sir Richard Branson's technology was being marketed.
"The thing I've got to say about Richard Branson is he could sell refrigerators to eskimos. He's a businessman and he's portraying that flight experience in a way that I would not be comfortable saying," Dr Thomas said.
"It's true that he will fly to the edge of space but he can't stay there. He falls right back down.
"It's really just a high altitude aeroplane flight and a dangerous one at that."
He said the technology for the spacecraft had little room to grow.
"I think, as a technology to get humans out into space, it's a go nowhere, dead-end technology," he said.
"You can't grow it, you can't make it big enough."
Dr Thomas — who made four space flights with NASA — said he was doubtful about the benefit of having Virgin Galactic's operations based in the state.
"Richard Branson would like to have a spaceport somewhere outside New Mexico, I'm sure, and South Australia would be an ideal place, the Woomera test range would be ideal," Dr Thomas said.
"It's good weather, no trees around to crash into when you land.
"But he would probably ask for huge tax incentives to do that.
"That's how he got the facility in New Mexico, they coughed up huge tax incentives and I have every expectation that he would expect the same here."
Dr Thomas still in favour of some technology related to project
Despite the tough talk on the Virgin Galactic project, he said he still supported what he was doing, because of the spin-off technology that was being created.
"… What he is spinning off is the capability to launch satellites, small satellites from under the wing of an aircraft on a small booster," he said.
"That's why, despite my criticisms of what he's trying to do in human space flight, I think in terms of the satellite technology and the capabilities of launching vehicles, it's something we should support."
Earlier, South Australian Premier Steven Marshall had welcomed the idea of hosting the Virgin Galactic project.
"Our department's already making contact with Sir Richard," he said.
"He's very welcome to come here.
"If he's not able to come here, I think we'll be getting on a plane and getting over to see him as soon as we possibly can."
Space agency could launch its own flights
Dr Thomas said the first five to 10 years of the Australian Space Agency should be spent stabilising and developing the local industry.
"In the near term it is imperative that we show the leaders in Canberra that it was the right decision to put it here in Adelaide and it has generated revenue, income and created high-tech employment opportunities here in South Australia," he said.
However, Dr Thomas did not rule out the agency eventually launching its own space flights.
"A space agency can be many things to many people," he said.
"At one end you can just launch satellites on someone else's vehicle, at the other extreme you can… launch services yourself and that's a possibility that South Australia [could] aspire to in the years to come."
Topics: astronomy-space, space-exploration, science-and-technology, sa, adelaide-5000
First posted