Wealthy space tourists to go back to space

William Atkins
Friday, 14 January 2011 00:28

Science - Space

Astronauts from the United States will not be the only people hitching rides to the International Space Station. Russia and a U.S. space tourism company agreed to resume taking wealthy space tourists on Space Station trips aboard Soyuz spacecraft.

 

Space Adventures Ltd., a company based in Virginia,has come to terms with the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), the equivalent of NASA within the United States, and OAO S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (RKK Energiya), the manufacturer of the Soyuz spacecraft.

 

According to the 1/12/2011 Space Adventures press release Space Adventures Concludes Agreement to Offer Commercial Spaceflight Opportunities to the International Space Station, ' the ability for wealthy space tourists to go to the International Space Station will resume in 2013.

And, according to the January 12, 2011 Bloomberg/Business Week article 'Space Adventures, Russia Agree to Expand Tourist Trips in 2013,' the resumption of space tourism flights was due to a ''¦ 2009 voyage by Cirque du Soleil's founder [(Guy Lalibert), which] sparked demand'¦.'

Eric Anderson, the chair of Space Adventures, stated, "We are extremely excited to announce this agreement and would like to thank our Russian partners in increasing Soyuz production and providing Space Adventures these well sought-after transportation services on the only commercially available manned spacecraft currently in operation."

Anderson added, 'Since Guy Laliberte's mission, there has been an increase of interest by private individuals, organizations and commercial entities seeking ways to access the space station. We have been speaking with these parties about science, education and multi-media programs and hope to make some major announcements in the coming year."

Cirque du Soleil's founder, Guy Lalibert, spent over US$35 million for his 2009 trip to the International Space Station. Lalibert had a nine-day visit to the orbiting space platform.

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