Tom Coronel to go into space in 2014

2009 WTCC Independents’ Champion Tom Coronel will become one of the elite few to travel into space in 2014, one of 100 who will travel onboard SXC Space Expedition Curaçao’s Lynx spacecraft.

The SXC Space Expedition Curaçao is a business venture by Dutch businessman Michiel Mol, former owner of the Spyker F1 team and now shareholder in the Force India Formula 1 team, and for a time owner of Spyker Cars.

The craft takes up the pilot and one passenger from its launch site in Curaçao in the Carribean, with a flight time of about one hour in total, with the spacecraft reaching an altitude of 100km (62 miles), which is where the Kármán line defines where the Earth’s atmosphere ends and outer space begins according to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

“I have said it several times in various interviews in the last couple of years, my answer to the question what I would like to do once in my life invariably is: ‘Travelling to the moon!’,” said Coronel. “That is still beyond reach, but this is already getting very close.”

“Thanks to at least one and probably two sponsors, I am one of the one hundred lucky persons who will be the first ones to enjoy this unique experience in 2014. This is one of the few things still on my list and I will be able to tick that box.”

“The total journey lasts approximately one and a half hours and in that time, you are going up to an altitude of more than 100 kilometres and back. Now that is a sensation of speed for you! Until then, I will still be fully committed to racing in the FIA WTCC. We are still in the process of negotiations to finalise our plans for the 2012 World Championship.”