Beal Aerospace renews interest in rocket launch site here
By Gitanjali Singh
Beal Aerospace Inc of Texas has returned to Guyana to further the possibility of setting up a rocket launch site in the interior and Prime Minister Sam Hinds says the government will do all it can to secure that multi-million dollar investment. In August 1997, Beal Aerospace expressed interest in Guyana, but opted for a small island off the British dependent state of Anguilla to pursue its investment. However, the company is still interested in Guyana. "They are looking to us to be a fall back for this investment," Hinds said, following meetings earlier last week with two officials from Beal Aerospace. However, Hinds said that he has told the investors that the government will do whatever it can to make Guyana their number one choice and the company officials are expected to return in a few weeks to view the potential launch site in Guyana. Guyana is closer to the Equator than Anguilla and will allow for a big cut in cost for the company to launch its satellites. While the government had taken some time in 1997 to respond to Beal Aerospace's interest, Hinds said the company had told the government that the reason it proceeded with the uninhabited island off Anguilla for its investment was because of the political climate in Guyana. Hinds conceded that investments in the interior are not affected by political unrest in the city and said this was communicated to the investors. The two representatives of the firm met top government officials and Hinds said they were impressed with the welcome extended to them. "They would be mulling over (investing in Guyana) the next couple of days and may come back in two weeks for more definitive steps to be taken," Hinds said. At the moment, the government is considering some point in the Waini area in the north west for such a launch site. Hinds argued that the benefits of this investment will be two-fold. Guyana's closeness to the equator will require less fuel for the launching of satellites into their required orbits and the company is hoping to make its operation the number one commercial rocket launch site. As such, Hinds said, the government will have to consider a semi circle of about a five-mile radius from the prime launching point as a concession to the company. He also noted that there can be no inhabitants within five miles of the launch site. He said the government will probably be looking at 15 to 150 square miles as a concession with two types of leases; freehold and leasehold. Hinds is very upbeat about the possibilities of this investment, contending that while Guyana is deriving much of its fortunes from sugar, it may be rocket launching which will take it into the next millennium. "We are totally committed to have this investment," the Prime Minister assured. He said the company anticipates that immediate benefits will be 500 construction jobs in two years and then a permanent employment force of about 200. "An investment like this would put Guyana right in the frontline of modern technology," the Prime Minister noted.
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