MOJAVE, Calif. - Ua hoʻolaha ʻo KLM Royal Dutch Airlines i ka nūpepa Netherlands e hoʻomaka ana lākou i kahi pilina hou me Space Experience Curacao (SXC). E kākoʻo ana ʻo KLM i nā mokulele suborbital e hiki mai ana ma o ke kūʻai ʻana, hoʻokomo ʻia i kā lākou papahana lele pinepine, hoʻokomo ʻia i nā pūʻolo hoʻomaha KLM e hiki mai ana i Curacao, a me nā kākoʻo ʻē aʻe i kapa ʻia. E hana ʻia nā mokulele ma ka mokuahi suborbital XCOR Lynx.

I ka mahina i hala aku nei, ua hoʻolaha pū ʻo SXC a me XCOR Aerospace i ka manaʻo o SXC e hoʻolimalima i kahi mana hana o ka Lynx suborbital spacecraft, e kali ana i ka ʻae ʻana o ke aupuni o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa e hoʻonoho i ke kaʻa ma ka mokupuni ʻo Curacao ma Netherlands Antilles. Me ka lā hoʻomaka i hoʻolālā ʻia ma Ianuali 2014 SXC a i kēia manawa e kūʻai aku ʻo KLM a kūʻai aku i nā mokulele. E hāʻawi ʻo XCOR i ke kākoʻo hana no ke kaʻa ma Space Port Curacao.

Ma ka ʻaoʻao mua o De Telegraaf, ka nūpepa Dutch nui loa, ʻōlelo ʻo KLM Luna Nui ʻo Peter Hartman e pili ana i ka pilina hou a me ka suborbital spaceflight: "He papahana maikaʻi loa i kūpono i ka ʻuhane paionia o KLM." Aia kēia moʻolelo i ka lawelawe ʻana i ka lawelawe ea lōʻihi loa i hoʻonohonoho ʻia ma ka honua i nā makahiki 1920, a me ka wehe ʻana i kā lākou lawelawe transatlantic mua ma 1934 ma waena o Amsterdam a me Curacao.

ʻO SXC ka mea nāna i hoʻokumu a me ka Royal Netherlands Air Force Chief of Staff Ben Droste i ʻōlelo i ka ʻimi a me ka ʻuhane ʻoihana i hōʻike ʻia e ka Dutch no nā kenekulia ʻelima a ʻike i ko lākou hoʻonui ʻia i ka lewa. "He papahana kēia i kūpono loa i kā mākou moʻomeheu VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, aka ʻo Dutch East India Company). Ua holomua ka poʻe Dutch i nā kai o ka honua, ua hoʻomaka i ka huakaʻi huakaʻi mamao lōʻihi, a i kēia manawa ke kau nei i kā mākou mau maka i ka lewa.

Ua ʻōlelo ʻo CEO o XCOR, ʻo Jeff Greason, "Ua hauʻoli nui ʻo XCOR i ka wikiwiki o ka ʻae ʻana o ka mākeke iā Lynx. Hāʻawi kā mākou hoʻokokoke ʻana i ka huakaʻi huakaʻi i ka maʻalahi, ke kumukūʻai haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa, ka naʻau o ke kaiapuni, ka mōʻaukala o ka hoʻokō ʻana, a me ka hauʻoli i makemake ʻia e nā mea kūʻai aku i kā lākou hui mokulele.

ʻO XCOR Aerospace kahi hui Kaleponi aia ma Mojave, Kaleponi. Aia ka ʻoihana i ka hoʻomohala ʻana a me ka hana ʻana i nā kaʻa i hoʻohana ʻia me ka palekana, hilinaʻi a hiki ke hoʻohana hou ʻia, nā ʻōnaehana propulsion, nā composites hiki ʻole i ke ahi a me nā ʻenehana ʻē aʻe. Ke hana nei ʻo XCOR me nā mea hana aerospace prime a me nā mea kūʻai aku o ke aupuni ma nā ʻōnaehana propulsion nui, a i ka manawa like ke kūkulu ʻana i ka Lynx, kahi hoʻokele, ʻelua noho, hiki ke hoʻohana hou ʻia, kaʻa wai rocket powered kaʻa e lele a pae i ka pae ākea. Hoʻolālā ʻia nā hiʻohiʻona hana Lynx (i koho ʻia ʻo Lynx Mark II) i mau kaʻa mikiona paʻa i hiki ke lele i 100+ km i ke kiʻekiʻe a hiki i ʻehā manawa o ka lā a ke hāʻawi ʻia nei ma ke kumu hoʻolimalima pulu.

Ua hoʻokumu ʻia ʻo Space Experience Curacao (SXC) ma 2008 e alakaʻi i ka honua i ka hoʻolako ʻana i nā keʻena hoʻolaha ākea ākea a me nā lawelawe mokulele suborbital mai ka mokupuni ʻo Caribbean ʻo Curacao. Manaʻo ʻo SXC e hāʻawi i nā mokulele mākaʻikaʻi suborbital a me nā misionari noiʻi ʻepekema mai Space Port Curacao. Ke alakaʻi ʻia nei ʻo SXC e kāna mau mea hoʻokumu ʻelua a me Managing Partners, ʻo ke Aliʻi Aliʻi Air Force mua o Royal Netherlands, ʻo Ben Droste a me ka mea hoʻokele mokulele F-16 Royal Netherlands, ʻo Harry van Hulten.

He aha e lawe ʻia mai kēia ʻatikala:

Last month SXC and XCOR Aerospace jointly announced the intent of SXC to lease a production version of the Lynx suborbital spacecraft, pending United States government approvals to station the vehicle on the island of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles.
SXC Founder and former Royal Netherlands Air Force Chief of Staff Ben Droste referred to the exploration and entrepreneurial spirit the Dutch have demonstrated for over five centuries and noted their logical extension to space.
The Lynx production models (designated Lynx Mark II) are designed to be robust, multi-commercial mission vehicles capable of flying to 100+ km in altitude up to four times per day and are being offered on a wet lease basis.