Space race: Push to turn Queensland airports into launch pads

Federal Space Minister Karen Andrews has revealed she is in talks with the three major space travel operators — headed by billionaires Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos — to make Australia a hub for tourism’s bold new frontier.

QUEENSLAND airports could be used as launchpads for space tourism.

Federal Space Minister Karen Andrews has revealed she is in talks with the three major space travel operators — headed by billionaires Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos — to make Australia a hub for tourism’s bold new frontier.

The Gold Coast-based minister wants to see Australian tourist destinations such as the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru and Sydney Harbour showcased from space.

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Under Ms Andrews’ plan, Queensland airports, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns and Townsville, could be used to launch space tourists. Once back on Earth, the cashed-up travellers would stay on to experience Queensland’s attractions at ground level.

Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity craft during a supersonic flight test. Picture: AP

Ms Andrews is ramping up efforts to make Australia a space tourism base as Mr Branson’s Virgin Galactic, Mr Bezos’s Blue Origin and Mr Musk’s SpaceX prepare to send their first customers into space as early as this year.

She said Australia’s space industry was currently worth $3.9 billion and employed 10,000 people, but space tourism could help it reach a targeted $12 billion and 30,000 employees by 2030.

Gold Coast Airport could become a launch pad for space tourism in Australia.

Ms Andrews said being in the southern hemisphere, Australia offered a “significant point of difference” to space travel companies, whose flights would last only a few minutes.

“Potentially, you could take the flights right over the Great Barrier Reef or Uluru,” she said. “I’m very keen for Australia to be part of that market.”

The minister said she was investigating the potential for Queensland airports to be used as space travel ports, with initial information suggesting the spaceships could take off from runways used by A380 aircraft, the world’s largest passenger planes.

“The (space travel vehicles) will be quite different — they’ll actually take off like an aircraft rather than a vertical launch,” she said.

A test version of the Starship Hopper, one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets. Picture: AFP

Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos founded space tourism company Blue Origin. Picture: Getty

About 700 people have already booked space flights with Virgin Galactic at a cost of about $250,000 each.

“We know there are people who are prepared to pay significant amounts of money for the opportunity to be up in space, even though that’s only going to be for about three minutes,” she said.

“That is really just the tip of the iceberg because over time, you would expect that price would come down.”

Sir Richard Branson poses in front of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space tourism rocket. Picture: AP

Space tourists would be encouraged to stay on in Australia for 10 days or two weeks after their flight, Ms Andrews said.

“We’re in the very early stages, but as Australia’s Space Minister, I’m in the box seat to be talking to these (space tourism) businesses, and I’m going to be taking every opportunity to encourage them to look at Australia,” she said.