Italian civil aviation authority
ENAC and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) on Thursday signed an
agreement with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to
develop a spaceport for sub-orbital flights somewhere in Italy.
Sub-orbital flights cross in and out of the Earth's
atmosphere without leaving its orbit.
"It could take three to five years - it all depends on the
reactions we get from the political, technological and
industrial sectors," said ASI chief Roberto Battiston.
"We'll meet with the FAA and with ASI to work out common
regulations," said deputy ENAC chief Benedetto Marasà.
After that, private companies operating in the
multi-billion-dollar space travel sector can get involved. These
include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' aerospace manufacturer Blue
Origin, Las Vegas-based expandable space station module
developer Bigelow Aerospace, American aerospace manufacturer and
defense company Orbital ATK Inc., and Richard Branson's Virgin
Galactic, which is developing commercial spacecraft to provide
suborbital spaceflights to space tourists.
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