Ukuhamba emkhathini kungase kuthuthuke emhlanganweni wezingqondo namawalethi e-Dubai kuleli sonto lapho i-World Space Risk Forum ihlanganisa izinkampani, amafemu omshwalense, kanye nosozimali abanentshisekelo yokubhala uhambo oluxhaswe ngasese lokuya ku-orbit.
Ukuvumelana, kusho abahleli besithangami, ukuthi ukuhamba emkhathini kungase kusebenze phakathi neminyaka emibili kuya kwemithathu ezayo.
"Izokuvakasha emkhathini ziyeza," kusho inhloko yengqungquthela uLaurent Lemaire, ekhomba "ushintsho lusuka kuhulumeni luye kwezinkampani ezizimele" ekuthuthukiseni uhambo lwasemkhathini. Inkampani yakhe, i-Elseco Limited, iqinisekisa ngokumelene nengozi yasemkhathini, umonakalo osukela ekungasebenzini kahle kwezobuchwepheshe kuye ekushayisaneni komoya nodoti wasemkhathini.
Intshisekelo yezohwebo emkhathini iqhamuke ngokwengxenye esinqumweni sikahulumeni wase-US sokunqamula isabelomali se-NASA, esihlanganisa ingxenye encane yeProjekthi Yezinkanyezi.
Izingxenye ezisemqoka zalolu hlelo, olusingatha ukundiza kwabantu emkhathini, zithathelwe indawo nguhulumeni ukuthunyelwa kwezinkampani ezinjengoBoeing noLockheed Martin. Ohulumeni bangaphandle, ikakhulukazi i-China ne-India, bakhulise izinhlelo zabo zasemkhathini. I-China yethula ibhanoyi layo lokuqala elinomuntu ngo-2003, kanti i-India ihlela okwayo ngo-2016.
Kodwa izindaba ezinkulu ekuthuthukisweni komkhathi zivela ezinkampanini ezizimele, i-Virgin Galactic kaSir Richard Branson. Ngethikithi lika-$200,000, abagibeli kumkhumbi-mkhathi ongasetshenziswa kabusha bazokwenza uhambo lwamahora angu-2 ½ beyongena emzileni ophansi, ngenxa yokungabi nesisindo okuhambisanayo kanye nokubuka umhlaba ukusuka kumafidi angu-50,000 phezulu.
'Uzogula, uzonyakaziswa, ngeke kube mnandi. Kodwa uma uthula ubona umhlaba uphezulu, cishe yinto egcwaliseka ngokujulile,’ kusho uLemaire.
Le nkampani ithi amanani azokwehla ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, okuzovumela osomkhathi abaningi abazimele ukuthi bandize. Engqungqutheleni yaseDubai uMengameli weVirgin Galactic uWill Whitehorn uthe bangu-330 abantu ababhalisile, okungenani abangu-20 kubo baphuma esifundeni saseGulf.
I-Abu Dhabi, ethathe ingxenye engamaphesenti angama-32 ku-Virgin Galactic ngamadola ayizigidi ezingama-280, inamalungelo esifunda okusingatha indawo yesikhala semkhathi emhlabathini we-UAE. Kepha inkampani ithi, okwamanje, ukusebenza nezindiza zasemkhathini kuzogxilwa endlunkulu yayo eNew Mexico.
Ukuvakasha Kwasemkhathini Ngeke Kushibhe
Enye inkampani, i-Excalibur Almaz, ihlose ukuthumela amakhasimende akhokhayo emkhathini. Iholwa ngowayengusonkanyezi wase-US u-Leroy Chiao, isikhulumi ku-Space Risk Forum, inkampani izoletha ucwaningo lwesayensi ebhodini ukuze inikeze abagibeli okuthile okumele bakwenze phakathi nohambo lwezinsuku ezinhlanu kuya kweziyisikhombisa. Ithegi yentengo ingaba phezulu kakhulu, uma iqhathaniswa nezindleko zamaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-35 zokuhlala isonto elilodwa ku-International Space Station.
“Izindleko ezinkulu zanoma yiluphi uhambo lokuya emkhathini yirokhethi. Ngeshwa azisebenziseki kabusha, futhi njengamanje zibiza cishe amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-60. Kungadingeka intuthuko kwezobuchwepheshe be-rocket ukwehlisa lezo zindleko,” kusho uChiao etshela abe-ABC News.
Okuthuthukise imingcele yesayensi yasemkhathini ukuvela kwemiklomelo ekhuthazwayo, njengoMklomelo we-X wokusungula ucwaningo. Ngo-2004, uMklomelo we-Ansari X wabeka umklomelo ka-$10 wezigidi eqenjini elakha futhi lethula umsebenzi wezandla okwazi ukwenza uhambo oluningi emkhathini.
Iqembu eliwinile, eliholwa umklami we-aerospace u-Burt Rutan kanye nenjinga yezobuchwepheshe u-Paul Allen, baklame lokho okungaba isibonelo se-shuttle ye-Virgin Galactic. Kusukela lapho sekumenyezelwe imiqhudelwano emisha, njengoMklomelo we-Google Lunar X wamaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-30 weqembu elizimele lokuqala ukubeka irobhothi enyangeni futhi lidlulisele izithombe emhlabeni.
“Imiklomelo ineqhaza elikhulu kwezesayensi. Okubaluleke kakhulu ukuthi baqwashisa umphakathi ngokwenzekayo,” kusho uChiao.
Ukuhlolwa kwezindawo ezixhaswe ngezimali ngasese kuzoba ukusimama, kusho uchwepheshe womshwalense wasemkhathini uLaurent Lamierre. Ubuchwepheshe kanye nokuxhaswa ngezimali kufanele kwenze inqubekelaphambili eyanele ukuze izinkampani zibe sengozini.
“Ezokuvakasha emkhathini ziyiqiniso,” esho. "Kodwa kufanele sibone ukuthi liyandiza ngempela yini."
