S'pore co unveils space capsule, hopes to send first Singaporean into space in 2015

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Local company IN.Genius (Innovation.Genius) unveiled the space capsule which it hopes will send the first Singaporean into space on Saturday (Nov 1).

The company's founder Lim Seng, who publicly announced the plan in 2013, said much progress had been made in the year and a half since his announcement.

Mr Lim plans to send the first Singaporean into space for the country's 50th birthday as a gift to the nation.

Launched by a stratospheric balloon, the capsule will be taken up to 20km into the stratosphere. It will cross what is known as the "Armstrong Line" - a region where a person's blood will boil at body temperatures without proper equipment. After cruising for 30 minutes, the capsule will then return to earth by parachute and parafoil.

"... stratospheric balloons, which have been used by the Russians, the Europeans and the Americans in the earlier days to launch equipment into space, is a viable, proven, safe way of flying into space," said Mr Lim.