全通翻譯/翻譯社

曼島公司提供要價1億英鎊奔月旅程

◎管淑平

http://iservice.libertytimes.com.tw/Service/english/english.php?engno=598016&day=2012-07-09

A British space company has announced details of a plan to take people to the moon for the first time since 1972.

一家英國太空公司宣布一項自1972年後首次載人前往月球的計畫細節。

Excalibur Almaz is offering members of the public a passport to orbit the moon - but budding space-travellers will have to find around ￡100m first.

「神劍鑽石」公司正提供民眾環繞月球旅行的通行證，但太空觀光客得先籌到約1億英鎊資金。

Four second-hand space capsules and two disused space stations have already been bought from the Russians. The Soviet-era equipment has been undergoing a refit involving the latest software and electronics at Excalibur’s headquarters in the Isle of Man.

4艘二手太空艙及2座停用的太空站已從俄羅斯購入。這些蘇聯時代的設備已在神劍公司位於曼島的總部改裝，包括加入最新軟體和電子設備。

Lured by zero tax for space projects and an income tax rate of just 10%, the island has carved out a niche for itself in the space business and is now home to over half of the world’s satellite companies.

受太空計劃零稅率以及僅10%的所得稅率吸引，這座島嶼已為自己在太空這行開拓出利基，現在全球超過一半的衛星公司都設於此。

But critics point to the vast cost of launching one of Excalibur’s space stations and question whether the figures add up.

但批評者指出發射一座神劍太空站的龐大費用，質疑這些經費是否合理。

Excalibur says the first trip could be less than four years away, and claims the second-hand space ships have the potential to become a billion-dollar business.

神劍公司說，可能在不到4年內首航，並宣稱這些二手太空船有潛力成為一門規模達10億美元的生意。

資料來源：自由時報電子報