Not all countries are receptive to the firing and launching of space touring rockets as Vassilis Kapernaros, a member of the political party Independent Greeks, discovered. He submitted a proposal for the transformation of the Kalamata International Airport to a rocket launch site, at Parliament. citing that Greece will be able to tap into space tourism.
The government was in opposition of an International Center for Space Tourism in Kalamata. According to greekreporter.com, Notis Mitarakis, the Deputy Minister of Development said that the country has yet to show any interest in the aerospace industry, while Michalis Chrysochoidis, the minister of infrastructure noted that such a project needs resources and infrastructure investments that Greece is not currently able to provide.
He added that an operation like this would cost millions of dollars that the country can’t afford, and also that the project would have to be cautiously approached because of “European and International regulations.”
Space1 has yet to approach the Greek government for a site proposal to create a spaceport. It's likely Space1 will approach other countries first and during that transitional time period, the country of Greece will realize the vast revenue that space tourism can generate, and undoubtedly warm up to hosting and funding the proposal.
ABOUT GREECE
President: Karolos Papoulias (2005)
Prime Minister: Antonis Samaras (2012)
Land area: 50,502 sq mi (130,800 sq km);
total area: 50,942 sq mi (131,940 sq km)
Population (2014 est.): 10,775,557 (growth
rate: .01%); birth rate: 8.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 11/1000;
life expectancy: 80.3
Capital (2011 est.): Athens, 3.414 million
Other large cities:
Thessaloníki, 883,000
Monetary unit: Euro (formerly drachma)
GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
Located in southern Europe, Greece forms an
irregular-shaped peninsula in the Mediterranean with two additional large
peninsulas projecting from it: the Chalcidice and the Peloponnese.
The
Greek islands are generally subdivided into two groups, according to
location: the Ionian islands (including Corfu, Cephalonia, and Leucas)
west of the mainland and the Aegean islands (including Euboea, Samos,
Chios, Lesbos, and Crete) to the east and south.
North-central Greece,
Epirus, and western Macedonia are all mountainous. The main chain of the
Pindus Mountains extends from northwest Greece to the Peloponnese. Mount
Olympus, rising to 9,570 ft (2,909 m), is the highest point in the
country,
Vassilis
Kapernaros, member of the political party Independent Greeks, - See
more at:
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2013/11/21/greece-tapping-into-space-tourism/#sthash.yZmlLYpI.dpuf
Vassilis
Kapernaros, member of the political party Independent Greeks, - See
more at:
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2013/11/21/greece-tapping-into-space-tourism/#sthash.yZmlLYpI.dpuf
Vassilis
Kapernaros, member of the political party Independent Greeks, - See
more at:
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2013/11/21/greece-tapping-into-space-tourism/#sthash.yZmlLYpI.dpuf