Chief Adviser for Spaceport Abu Dhabi appointed

Virgin Galactic, part of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, and Aabar Investments  on Tuesday announced that they had appointed Steve Landeene as Chief Adviser for Spaceport Abu Dhabi.

Between 2007 and 2010, Landeene was Executive Director of Spaceport America in New Mexico and oversaw the development of Virgin Galactic’s operational hub and the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport.

Under a deal announced in 2009 between Virgin Galactic and Aabar, the two companies agreed that Abu Dhabi would gain exclusive regional rights, subject to the receipt of regulatory clearances, to host Virgin Galactic’s tourism and scientific research space flights.

Landeene will be responsible for developing a roadmap for the proposed construction of a spaceport in Abu Dhabi.

Commenting on the appointment, Mohamed Badawy Al Husseiny, CEO of Aabar said: “We are pleased that someone with Steve’s exceptional experience in aerospace and spaceport development has agreed to spearhead this exciting project. We are at the dawn of a new era in commercial space and are positioned with the world’s first spaceline, Virgin Galactic, to ensure that we are a beneficiary of the opportunities that will follow.”

George Whitesides, CEO and President of Virgin Galactic, added: “Steve’s appointment comes at a particularly exciting time for Virgin Galactic as we move into the final stages of test flights prior to commercial operations at Spaceport America.”

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