KLM announces suborbital flight relationship with Space Experience Curacao

Yesterday KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced to the Netherlands press that they were embarking upon a new relationship with Space Experience Curacao (SXC).

KLM will be supporting future suborbital flights through purchases, inclusion in their frequent flyer program, inclusion in future KLM vacation packages to Curacao, and other yet-to-be-named support. The flights will be made on the XCOR Lynx suborbital spacecraft.

On the front page of De Telegraaf, the largest circulation Dutch newspaper, KLM Chief Executive Officer Peter Hartman said of the new relationship and suborbital spaceflight: "It is a fantastic project that totally fits the pioneering spirit of KLM."

This history includes operating the longest regularly scheduled air service in the world throughout the 1920s, and opening their first transatlantic service in 1934 between Amsterdam and Curacao.

Read more at PRNewswire

On the Dutch eight o'clock news the CEO of SXC said the price per ticket is 70.000 Euro and the first flight is scheduled in 2014.

Interesting development, I hope this project will also benefit the local people of Curacao.

The end of the Netherlands Antilles

Today October 10th 2010, the Netherlands Antilles are dissolved as a single political entity. The islands of Curaçao and Sint Maarten are now independent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The islands of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius are now ‘special councils’ of the Netherlands.

In 2005 the population of Curaçao voted for independence. This led to the Dutch government and the Netherlands Antilles discussing a new political structure for the five-island group situated in the Caribbean off the northern coast of South America.

Aruba has been a independent within the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1986.

Expatica wrote: Curacao and St Maarten will each have their own parliament, government, prime minister and currency: the guilder.

Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius will switch to the US dollar and have "island councils" akin to municipal councils. Their inhabitants will vote for the national Dutch government.

The three new municipalities will have to adopt many Dutch laws. The most contentious among them, allowing for abortion, gay marriage and euthanasia, will be systematically adopted over a period of two years, said Dutch interior ministry spokesman Thijs Manten

Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival - September 3- 4 2010

For the first time the North Sea Jazz Festival will have an edition on the island of Curaçao, the Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival

The International Dutch version of the festival is held annually in the city of Rotterdam, and is also the largest indoor jazz festival in the World.

The Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival will be held on September 3 and 4 2010 in the World Trade Center on the island. According to the newspaper AD, the Caribbean version of the jazz festival must become the biggest musical and tourist event of the island’s history.

The program includes, among others, Lionel Richie, John Legend, Sergio Mendes George Benson and Luis Enrique.



http://www.curacaonorthseajazz.com

Travelling to Space from the island of Curaçao

As of January 1, 2014 the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao will be the home of the Caribbean Space Port called Space Experience Curaçao (SXC).

According to the website and the latest information, Space Experience Curaçao (SXC) envisions realizing a Commercial Space Line and Space Port on Curaçao International Airport. SXC will serve both the commercial needs of everyone who wants to travel into space, as well as the needs for scientific research and space training. Bringing small satellites into orbit in a flexible way will follow soon while in the somewhat longer term very fast orbital travel to distant parts of our world is within reach.

On July 23 a Letter of Intent between Curaçao Airport Holding N.V. and Space Experience Curaçao B.V. has been signed.


See Virgin Galactic

According to the website, the spaceport location at Curacao offers all the options of a complete luxurious holiday package including a suborbital spaceflight for initially the high-end market (HNWIs). The combination of spaceflight, luxury beach hotels, resorts and activities in a tropical climate is seen as the ideal new holiday for the relatively wealthy people of the world.

Interesting development. But what will happened to the real estate prises? They are already sky high at the moment. Most students who return to Curacao to starts their professional careers can only afford houses at the rural part of the Island.

And I hope that Space Experience Curaçao will not only invest in the Space Port, but will also set up and sponsor science education programs for the local schools and schools in the region.

For more information:

http://spaceexperiencecuracao.com
http://caribbeanspaceport.com

Singer Izaline Calister won the Dutch Edison Award 2009

Dutch Antillean singer Izaline Calister won the Dutch Edison Award 2009 in the category Jazz/world music. The Edison Awards are Grammy Awards of The Netherlands. She received the Edison for her album Speransa. The award ceremony will be held on November 19th.

Calister’s first videoclip just has been released. The song is called ‘Mi Pais’ (My Country) and tells about her love for her sometimes hampered island. It is a track of her latest cd-release, ’Speransa’. The clip is shot on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao.

Izaline Calister's official website



In this BBC documentary Calister talks about her language and the African Tambu music of Curaçao.