In a majestic and traditional setting, the high-walled quad of King William College on the outskirts of Douglas, historical academic excellence met head to head with the scientific aspirations of the future.



We were highly privileged to be invited to a reception and major announcement by Excalibur Almaz to witness the advent of their future plans.

Along with a broadly based guest list, representing both The Tynwald and local private enterprise, The Space Miles Team were entertained to a discreet but brilliantly executed exhibition of commercial space ambition and hardware.

The event represented another huge step forward in support of space related industries based on The Island.

Excalibur kindly agreed to keep their exhibition open for a further two weeks to allow school children, students and the wider public to see the well traveled space capsule and have sneak a glimpse of the possibilities of future.

Also based on The Isle of Man, Space Miles were made to feel very much at home by our hosts and had a superb opportunity to informally discuss future space related activity both domestically and internationally.

Since the confusion and uncertainty surrounding various announcements by The Russian Space Agency the future of orbital space tourism has been held in the balance. With the service life of The U.S. Space Shuttle coming to an end putting more responsibility upon Russian spacecraft to service the International Space Station, spare seats to The ISS are going to be in very short supply at any price.

After the much publicised, flight to the ISS by Guy Laliberte, the Canadian entrepreneur, following in the pioneering footsteps of Dennis Tito and Mark Shuttleworth et al, scheduled for early October no similar excursions are planned.

This short term dearth of availability puts orbital space tourism in abeyance creating a vacuum in the market. Excalibur intends to satisfy the demand.

Excalibur have proudly announced that they are ready and able to pick up the mantle and offer truly private orbital excursions.

Full details of The Excalibur adventure can be found on their web site www.excaliburalmaz.com.

Not only have Excalibur secured proven Russian space hardware and are in the process of upgrading this equipment; they have also commissioned the construction of an orbital module to accommodate both future orbital tourists and future scientific missions.

The inevitable march of the commercialization of Space Travel continues.

In tandem with Guy Laliberte’s excursion and a resurgence of the inspired COTS programme in The US, Space Miles believe Excalibur’s initiative will constitute a quantum leap in the business of privately available, (be it either for commercial purposes or personal experiences), orbital space flight.

With a serious mission purpose to raise awareness of the true value of, (limited), water resources on earth, culminating in a worldwide joint space/terrestrial media event scheduled for broadcast 9th October; and with his renowned, infectious levity, Mr Laliberte’s genuine sense of fun will inject a new enthusiasm and impetus for authorities around the globe to deliver the framework to allow public access to Space.

The private space endeavour will not stop. From the ambitions of Professor Stephen Hawkin to a new generation of committed enthusiasts, the human destiny must lie beyond The Earth.

One can only hope that Excalibur will be inundated with enquires as to their programme and schedule.

Space Miles, however, have to be realistic and advise our future customers that our retailer based coalition credit card proposition, is and always has been based as a service to the blossoming Sub-orbital market and existing, terrestrially based, space tourism themes.

However our sister company, Space Miles (IOM) Ltd. operators of The Space Shuffle Lottery, www.thespaceshuffle.com whilst similarly concentrating on Sub-orbital excursions, does not suffer quite the same natural constraints.

Corporations such as Excalibur and individuals such Guy Laliberte will stretch commercial minds as to the true potential of space participation and exploitation. From mining to marketing, from medicine to media, man can only gain from these newly set horizons.

To that end and with the 50th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first ever spaceflight due next year, we are currently working behind the scenes to create a framework to offer a future orbital lottery prize of truly global importance.

We would naturally welcome any enquiries from individuals or corporations that would be interested in joining us to structure such an exciting undertaking.