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powered by: Spaceport Development & Operations Consultancy		Spaceport Partners The Spaceport Partners website is currently being revised. For summary information about Spaceport Partners view below. Introduction Spaceport Partners is a Spaceport Development and Operations Consultancy Agency. Commercial Suborbital Spaceflight is rapidly emerging promising to open up vast new markets for low cost personal as well as for scientific and educational missions. Commercial spaceflight requires new commercial spaceports which facilitate regular low cost spaceflight launches at better suited geographical and easier accessible locations than current traditional spaceports. The economic benefits of suborbital spaceflight activities are considered by a variety of studies to be large for the local economy of the spaceport location and stretching out to the national economy. A commercial spaceport function also interactively strengthens the local and national scientific and educational community. A commercial spaceport therefore bears the promise to evolve into a centre of innovation and high-tech economic activity at limited cost. Suborbital spaceflight shares many operational characteristics with aviation activities and entails a very limited environmental impact concerning sound, carbon footprint and pollution compared to traditional orbital launches. The ‘’avionic nature’’ of suborbital spaceflight offers the possibility (under various conditions) of the integration of spaceport functions into existing airports, thereby strongly limiting the cost of development and operations. Spaceport Partners Mission: Spaceport Partners mission is to serve potential and prospect spaceport locations throughout the world with technical, legal and economic research and planning concerning spaceport development and operations. Spaceport Partners’ and its affiliate partners’ capabilities consist of technical, legal and economic feasibility research, requirements analyses, strategy development, market and industry analysis, business planning, operations planning, space theme park development, payload integration and spaceflight supply services. Spaceport Partners participates in and has access to an extensive network encompassing the spaceflight industry, knowledge institutions, governmental and semi-governmental organizations. Spaceport Partners consists of a highly experienced team of spaceflight and business professionals. Spaceport Partners is responsible for initiating the Caribbean Spaceport project for which it conducted various feasibility studies, requirements analyses and business planning. On assignment of VTM, a Dutch inter-governmental development agency Spaceport Partners recently concluded a prefeasibility study for the development of a spaceport function at a regional airport in the Netherlands proper (Twente). Spaceport Partners is currently conducting a Space&Air Traffic Management study in cooperation with the Technical University Delft and Eurocontrol Maastricht. Spaceport Partners Team: Joost G. Wouters, LL.M, CEO Joost Wouters started his career in 1992 as a research scientist for the PROLEXS legal informatics project at the Free University of Amsterdam. He then served the web and media industry in the USA (Omniwave Websolutions, Hire Minds) in various management positions. Subsequently Joost served in senior positions in marketing and business development in the commercial space industry (the Solar Sail project of Team Encounter and NASA Langley Research Center) and in the biotechnology sector. From 2003 Joost also promoted the Ansari X PRIZE in Europe and was involved in X PRIZE sponsorship acquisition. In 2007 on request of an X PRIZE board member Joost developed a Biotech Organ and Tissue Engineering X PRIZE concept which was selected for presentation for the full X PRIZE board. Since 2007 Joost serves as CEO for the Caribbean Spaceport project and Spaceport Partners. More recently (2009/2010) Joost additionally served as a consultant to the Netherlands Space Office and SpaceNed regarding vision and strategy development and business development, as a consultant to Vliegwiel Twente Maatschappij, a Dutch interdepartmental airport development agency, and as a consultant to the Curacao Airport Holding. Joost Wouters received his Master of Laws degree from the University of Amsterdam specializing in ‘Artificial Intelligence and Law’ and ‘International Trade Law’. He also studied Anglo American and European Law at the University of Exeter, UK and Cognitive Science at the SUNY Buffalo, USA. Joost is a regular contributor to the Dutch media on the subject of commercial spaceflight. His hobbies include travel, sea sailing, 3D graphics, music and creative writing. Arno Wielders, MSc, COO Arno Wielders received his master degree in Physics in 1997 from the Free University of Amsterdam. After graduation he was hired by the Leiden Observatory from the Leiden University to work at Dutch Space in the Very Large Telescope Interferometer Delay Line project. In 2002 Arno received his TWAIO (two year PhD like research) certificate and started as a research scientist at the Space Department of TNO TPD in Delft. At TNO he was deeply involved in the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) project launched by NASA. Arno was also responsible for doing research in metrology systems for formation flying satellites, which included project proposals related to several missions for the European Space Agency. In 2004 he founded Space Horizon, a project agency for space exploration projects, involved in planetary mission definition, instrument studies and space outreach. In 2004 Arno also conceived of and initiated the Caribbean Spaceport project. In 2005 he was hired part-time by the European Space Agency’s technology centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands (ESTEC) to work on future scientific planetary missions. At ESTEC Arno is mainly involved in payload for new missions within Cosmic Vision and their related technology developments. He currently divides his time between Space Horizon and Spaceport Partners Geert-Jan Hoek, LLM, Business and Legal Advisor Geert-Jan Hoek currently holds a position as General Group Counsel in the Oil and Energy Industry at Heerema Group Services S.A. Geert-Jan previously served as Manager of the Legal department of Heerema Marine Contractors. Geert Jan hold a Master of Laws in Coroprate Law from the University of Amsterdam. Geert-Jan brings a wealth of international legal and business experience to Spaceport Partners Peter Houtzagers BBA, Business Advisor Peter Houtzagers holds a BBA from Nijenrode Business University(1982). Peter is (co)founder of a number of successful enterprises, such as Psion Netherlands, PalmTop Software (which became well known as AEX traded TomTom), Matra Nortel Netherlands, 2Contact (callcenters), Flinndal (nutritional supplements) en Certin (credit management). Peter served and serves as an advisor for various start-ups and charity organizations.Peter is a father of 5 children He enjoys his family life, sailing races, bikeriding, playing squash, snow skiing, travels, fine wines and cuisine. Yi Xiong, BSc, Intern, ATM Research Yi is currently finalizing his Master degree in Airtransport and Operations at the Delft University of Technology, in cooperation with Spaceport Partners and Eurocontrol Maastricht. Yi’s graduation research concerns integrating sub-orbital flights into current ATM systems. During the lecture period and Yi’s internship at Eurocontrol Maastricht, Yi gained an understanding of various airline and airport operational issues. This includes airline and airport strategy, economics and operating performance, network and revenue management, ground operations, quality and safety assurance. During his internship at Eurocontrol Maastricht, Yi managed to gain valuable insight into the operational part of European ATM and he contributed to Eurocontrol’s latest project, i.e. Free Route Airspace Maastricht. Additionally Yi studied various disciplinary areas, such as corporate finance and strategy, general marketing and procurement, and aerospace law were also part of the program, which provided Yi with comprehensive knowledge concerning air-/spaceline and air-/spaceport management. Yi Xiong holds a Bachelor degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Delft University of Technology. During his Bachelor studies Yi obtained general knowledge of aerodynamics, aircraft performance, materials and structure, manufacturing and production techniques, space mission and space flight. In addition, practical knowledge was gained through participation in various design projects, in which the development of analytic and problem-solving skills played a significant role. Yael Vanek , Communications, Yael Vanek (1981) received her Interior Design B.A. from the Instituto Europeo di Design in Milan, Italy in July 2006. Yael has an eclectic background involving art history, intercultural communications, and languages. During her studies, Yael collaborated with Beiersdorf Italia and developed a concept store for Nivea. Following graduation she served Versace S.p.A. Milan and Persys Medical International in the field of visual merchandising, (e-)marketing and communications design. Yael joined Spaceport Partners in July 2009 managing Communications for Spaceport Partners from Houston TX, USA .				media The media about Caribbean Spaceport; click here.. experience During suborbital personal spaceflight passengers will be launched with a specially developed flight system to a minimum height of 100 km above the surface of the Earth. During the spaceflight the sky will turn black and full of stars, several minutes of weightlessness will be experienced and the curvature of the earth with its precious thin layer of atmosphere will be visible. Experience more..

about us Caribbean Spaceport’s mission is to develop a spaceport facility on the Netherlands Antilles island Curacao in order to serve the exciting new and upcoming Personal Spaceflight market as well as the Scientific and expanding Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Small Satellite market. More..						why caribbean? The beautiful Caribbean island Curacao offers a headstart for spaceport development and operations by combining all the benefits of its tropical setting with an excellent technical, logistical, legal and tourism infrastructure, stable climate, low lattitude and More..

services Caribbean Spaceport will serve the exciting new and upcoming Personal Spaceflight market as well as the Scientific, Educational and expanding Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Small Satellite market. More..						personal spaceflight During suborbital spaceflight passengers will be launched with a specially developed flight system to a minimum height of 100 km above the surface of the Earth. More..