India to set up first space-themed park by 2010

Thursday, 22 January 2009, 15:41 IST   |    2 Comments
Printer Print Email Email
New Delhi: As India reaches for the moon, one company is gearing up to offer the country its space-themed park, complete with a space camp, an aviation camp, fun rides demonstrating weightlessness, robotics, rocketry and even scuba diving, near Pune. Lavasa Corp, a subsidiary of infrastructure major Hindustan Construction Co, has signed an agreement with the Dubai-based Space Investment Co. to develop the park on an investment of 4 billion (400 crore), the company said Wednesday. Called SpaceWorld, the 65-acre park will come up near Warasgaon dam at Lavasa Hill City, near Pune. It will become operational from 2010. SpaceWorld India will have educational programmes prepared with inputs from representatives of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and veteran astronauts. It will also draw upon the Dubai firm's US partner and licensee, the United States Space and Rocket Center. "As India takes giant steps with its space exploration programme, we expect SpaceWorld at Lavasa to provide a lifetime experience that will fascinate researchers, students, tourists, both adults and children alike," said Lavasa Corp's chairman Ajit Gulabchand. It will have an entertainment area for live communication with the International Space Station, and lectures by astronauts and simulation of various missions.
Source: IANS