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Christmas Island may launch satellites
Communications satellites may be launched from Christmas Island by 2003.
The island has been selected as the site for an $800 million facility to be built by consortium Asia Pacific Space Centre.
Head of the centre David Kwon and the Federal Government are expected to formally announce the development over the weekend.
Mr Kwon and government ministers met community representatives yesterday to discuss the project.
Local businessman Phil Oakley, who was at the meeting, says the good news has been travelling quickly around the island.
Mr Oakley says Mr Kwon told the gathering the island's resort would be reopened.
He says the local economy has not recovered since the resort was closed three years ago.
"Certainly that did take a lot of people away from the island, particularly a lot of the high spending members of our community and so business has been affected, but it's looking very very rosy for the future from now on," he said.
The space centre will be the first fully-commercial land-based facility of its kind in the world.
Managing director David Kwon says the space centre will generate up to 400 jobs during construction and more than 500 when fully operational.
He says construction could begin by September.
"We are on the tender process of construction and Australian major company is participating in that so in July we'll select the awarded tender," he said.
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© 2000 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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