Plans to launch the first Singaporean to the edge of space from Alice Springs, Australia, has been postponed to 2019 due to a freak weather occurrence.

The founder is now seeking Singaporeans' help to fund it after five years of self-funding has left them with almost no money.

According to the founder of the project, Marvyn Lim Seng, abnormally high speed jet stream winds travelling at more than 100 knots would rupture the stratospheric balloon which will be carrying the capsule up to space.

Lim Seng first announced his idea to send the first Singaporean into space in February 2013.

He aimed to do this using a stratospheric helium balloon used by space agencies like NASA to conduct scientific missions.

The flight was originally planned for take-off in 2015 during the SG50 celebrations, but faced delays due to various reasons. The recent freak weather occurrence caused the project's second delay.

In the meantime, the launch has been postponed and the money raised from crowdfunding is in the process of being refunded to financial backers:

Marvyn Lim Seng, the founder of IN.Genius, the company behind GoSpace, had this to say to Mothership:

"We felt that [the refund] was the right thing to do since we were unable to launch and hence could not fulfil what was promised...Unfortunately, missing this window also means that we are running out of funds after five years of self-funding in order to realise this historic event of sending the first Singaporean to Space for our nation."

The basic cost of each launch is about $200,000.

Since the beginning, this project has been a personal one for Lim, born out of promise he made to the late Lee Kuan Yew. Hence Lim was always adamant that the project be "by the people, for the people".

Aside from public donations, Lim also invested a few million dollars into the space endeavour.

The money went into designing and engineering the components of the mission, the test flights which carried lab rats, and the training for the Singaporean flying into space, among others.

GoSpace is now seeking crowdfunding to finance two flights: A mission simulation in November/December 2018, as well as the actual April/May 2019 manned flight.

Here are some images from GoSpace's previous preparations for the launch, courtesy of Lim. They feature Lim's team of volunteers and the pilot, Yip Chuang Syn, who has been flying with the Singapore Armed Forces for 20 years:

[related_story]

How GoSpace is sending a person to space

GoSpace will do this using a stratospheric helium balloon used by space agencies like NASA to conduct scientific missions.

It will carry a space capsule containing an astronaut to the edge of space at the Armstrong Line, before the line to the helium balloon will be cut and the capsule begins its descent to the ground:

For more information and to do your bit to help GoSpace crowdfund it's project, visit www.gospace.sg. You can also read Lim's personal letter to Singaporeans here.

Top image courtesy of Marvyn Lim Seng.