LONDON - Hiki ke hana ʻia nā huakaʻi lōʻihi ma nā mokulele ma mua o nā mokulele i 20 mau makahiki inā kūleʻa ka hoʻoikaika ʻana o Virgin e kūʻai aku i ka huakaʻi huakaʻi, ua haʻi aku ka pelekikena o Virgin Galactic iā Reuters ma kahi ninaninau.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Will Whitehorn, ʻo ka hoʻolālā ʻana o Virgin e lawe i nā mākaʻikaʻi i ka lewa he pae mua wale nō ia e hiki ai ke wehe i nā ʻano hana like ʻole no ka ʻoihana e pili ana i ka ʻepekema lewa, nā mahiʻai kikowaena kamepiula ma ka lewa a me ka hoʻololi ʻana i nā mokulele lōʻihi.
ʻO Virgin Galactic, ʻāpana o Richard Branson's Virgin Group, ua hōʻiliʻili ʻo ia i $40 miliona i nā waihona mai ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi i makemake ʻia me ka physicist Stephen Hawking a me ka mea hoʻokele heihei mua ʻo Niki Lauda, a ke manaʻo nei e hoʻomaka i nā huakaʻi kalepa i loko o ʻelua makahiki.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Whitehorn, ʻo ka hoʻopaʻa ʻana mai 300 poʻe e makemake e uku i $ 200,000 i kēlā me kēia no ka lele mokulele ua hōʻoiaʻiʻo ʻo Virgin ua hiki ke hana. Ke holo nei ia i nā mokulele hoʻāʻo a manaʻolana e loaʻa koke kahi laikini mai ka Federal Aviation Authority.
"Pono mākou e ʻike he hoʻolālā ʻoihana maikaʻi kā mākou," i ʻōlelo ai ʻo ia ma ka ʻaoʻao o ka FIPP World Magazine Congress, kahi i kono ʻia ai ʻo ia e kamaʻilio e pili ana i ka hana hou.
Wahi a Virgin, ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi o kāna ʻenehana, ka mea e hoʻokuʻu ai i kahi moku ākea i loko o ka sub-orbit i ka lewa me ka hoʻohana ʻana i kahi mokulele mokulele mokulele, ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi o ke kaiapuni ma mua o ka ʻenehana rocket i hoʻokumu ʻia i ka honua.
ʻOi aku ka māmā o nā mea metala ʻole kahi i kūkulu ʻia ai ka moku ākea a koi aku i ka mana liʻiliʻi ma mua o ka laʻana, nā kaʻa mokulele o NASA, wahi a Whitehorn.
Ua ʻike mua ʻo ia i ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka mokulele no nā hoʻokolohua ʻepekema, no ka laʻana ma ke ʻano he koho ʻē aʻe i ke kipa ʻana i ka International Space Station a i ʻole ka hoʻohana ʻana i nā mokulele unmanned no nā hui lāʻau lapaʻau e ʻimi nei e hoʻohana i ka microgravity e hoʻololi i nā ʻāpana.
Ma hope mai, hiki ke hoʻohana ʻia ka mokulele e hoʻolauna i nā satelite liʻiliʻi a i ʻole e lawe i nā ukana ʻē aʻe i ka lewa, wahi a Whitehorn. "Hiki iā mākou ke hoʻokomo i kā mākou mau mahiʻai āpau ma kahi ākea."
Nīnau ʻia e pili ana i ka hopena o ke kaiapuni, hōʻike ʻo ia e hiki ke hoʻohana ʻia i ka lā, a ʻōlelo ʻo ia i kēlā me kēia hihia ʻo ka ʻūhā ʻino i ka lewa he mea paʻakikī ke hana ʻino ma mua o ka waiho ʻana i nā ʻōpala.
"He paʻakikī loa ka hoʻohaumia ʻana i ka wahi," wahi āna.
I ka hopena, ʻike ʻo ia i ka hiki ke lawe i nā poʻe kaʻa i nā wahi honua ma nā mokulele ma waho o ka lewa ma kahi o ka mokulele. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia hiki ke hana ʻia kahi huakaʻi mai Beretania a Australia ma kahi o 2-1/2 mau hola.
"He 20 makahiki ia," wahi āna.
ʻAʻole ʻo Virgin wale nō ka ʻaoʻao ʻaʻole aupuni e hoʻāʻo nei e hoʻomohala i ka huakaʻi huakaʻi ma ke kahua pilikino, akā ua hilinaʻi ʻo Whitehorn ʻo ia ka mea mua e lawe i nā mea holo i ka lewa.
ʻO SpaceX, i alakaʻi ʻia e ka mea ʻoihana ʻo Silicon Valley ʻo Elon Musk, ke hoʻomohala nei i nā kaʻa hoʻolele lewa akā ʻaʻole lākou i hoʻolālā ʻia e lawe i nā mea holo.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Whitehorn, ua loaʻa iā ia nā ʻōlelo hoihoi he nui mai nā ʻoihana kālā a me nā ʻoihana ʻē aʻe a me nā hui makemake e lawe i kahi kuleana i ka ʻoihana, kahi e noʻonoʻo ai.
"ʻIke mākou i ka hiki iā mākou ke lawe mai i kahi mea hoʻopukapuka," wahi āna. "Manaʻo wau e loaʻa kahi pā kālā e hele i kahi wahi pilikino."
Nīnau ʻia e pili ana i ke ʻano o ke kaiapuni i ka hoʻomohala ʻana i ka mākaʻikaʻi lewa, ʻaʻohe mea e pono ai ma mua, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Whitehorn ʻaʻohe o nā papahana e hiki mai ana i manaʻo ʻia e hiki ke hana me ka ʻole o ka hōʻike mua ʻana i kahi hoʻohālike ʻoihana.
"ʻAʻole hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻomohala i ka ʻōnaehana i kēia manawa me ka ʻole o ka hoʻomohala ʻana i nā mākeke," wahi āna.
Ua hoʻopaʻapaʻa pū ʻo ia ʻo ka ʻike o ka nānā ʻana i ka Honua mai ka lewa e hoʻololi i nā ʻano kanaka.
"He 500 wale nō ka poʻe ma ka lewa a hiki i kēia manawa, a he $50 a $100 miliona ma ka awelika," wahi āna. "ʻO kēlā me kēia astronaut he mea kaiapuni."
