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Space Adventures Unveils the Cosmopolis XXI, First Spacecraft Aimed at Tourism Trade
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 12:25 pm ET
14 March 2002
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Space Adventures, Ltd. today announced the debut of the Cosmopolis XXI Aerospace System (C-21), a next-generation spacecraft designed specifically for sub-orbital space tourist flights. The full-scale model of the reusable launch vehicle (RLV) was unveiled at the Zhukovsky Air Base outside of Moscow, Russia.
The three-seat passenger vehicle was developed by the same aerospace company responsible for the design of the former Soviet Union's Buran Space Shuttle, the Myasishchev Design Bureau (MDB), in collaboration with the Cosmopolis XXI Suborbital Corporation and Space Adventures. The spacecraft is comprised of an RLV and a carrier aircraft, the M-55X, and uses a two-stage approach to reaching space. The consortium plans to construct a working model of the craft in the hope of attracting additional investors, Space Adventures' Tereza Predescu told SPACE.com. "Eveything is there (in the mock-up) except for the engines, but it's a fullsize, full scale mock-up," Predescu said. "We are the largest investor in the project, but we're obviously looking for additional investors as well." "This is a revolutionary concept that will lead the way towards an entirely new generation of cheaper, more reliable and fully reusable spacecraft," Valery Novikov, MDB Chief Designer said in a prepared statement. The C-21 is one of the spacecraft that will be used exclusively for Space Adventures sub-orbital flights. The rocket-powered C-21 is capable of flying one pilot and two paying Space Adventures clients on a sub-orbital space flight, reaching altitudes of over 62 miles (100km). At the peak of its parabolic trajectory, passengers will experience several minutes of weightlessness and see the Earth from space. Four days of space flight orientation including centrifuge, zero-gravity and high-altitude jet flight training, as well as safety and onboard system lessons are expected to be required. Test flights for the completed vehicle are expected to being in 2004, Predescu said.
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