Rocket man prepares to take off on space odyssey

A BRITISH rocket fanatic hoping to become the first amateur to fly in space in a privately developed craft yesterday unveiled his new rocket capsule.

Steve Bennett, 39, has been building and launching rockets for more than a decade in a bid to become the first man to pilot a privately developed spacecraft into space and back.

His Starchaser firm yesterday unveiled the single seater Nova II capsule, which is being readied for shipment to the US, where it is to be fitted with a parachute system.