A U.S. space tourism firm has booked
two multimillion-dollar seats to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard
future Russian spacecraft, but ticket prices are going up.
The Virginia-based firm Space
Adventures will launch two space tourists to the ISS during separate Russian
missions in 2008 and 2009, one of which may include the first private
spacewalk, Eric Anderson, the company's president and CEO told SPACE.com
late Wednesday. The cost of those trips -- no less than $30 million a piece --
is an increase from past flights ranging between $20 million and $25 million,
largely due to the falling value of the U.S. dollar, he added.
"It is still the most
economical and reliable, safest way to get to orbit," Anderson said of
Russia's three-person Soyuz spacecraft, adding that inflation and higher
vehicle production costs also factored into the price increase.
Space Adventures officials said the
firm secured seats aboard two Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS under a contract
agreement with Russia's Federal Space Agency. The first seat will carry a
private spaceflyer to the ISS in fall 2008 aboard the
Soyuz TMA-13 vehicle, with a second space tourist to launch in spring 2009
aboard the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft.
"A spacewalk in one of those
flights is a possibility and we have people who are interested in that,"
Anderson said, adding that the identities of Space Adventures' next two private
spaceflyers will likely be unveiled later this year.
Space Adventures, which has brokered
ISS trips for five paying spaceflyers with the
Federal Space Agency, also has a $15 million add-on for a private spacewalk in
a Russian-built Orlan spacesuit. The firm's most
recent flight, April's launch
of U.S. billionaire Charles Simonyi and the station's Expedition 15 cosmonaut crew, ran about 14 days to set a new
endurance record by a private spaceflyer.
In addition to orbital flights,
Space Adventures is also drawing up plans for private
trips around the Moon among its other spaceflight-themed offerings.
The upcoming private spaceflights
must wait until after two upcoming ISS-bound Soyuz trips carrying astronauts
for the countries of Malaysia and South
Korea. Russia plans to launch Malaysia's first spaceflyer
to the ISS with the station's Expedition 16 crew in October. South Korea's
astronaut will accompany two professional spaceflyers
to the ISS during a planned spring 2008 launch, Federal Space Agency officials
have said.
Seat availability for private spaceflyers may also be impacted once the ISS grows from
its current three-person capacity to a full six-person crew in 2009.
"Access to the space station is
a pretty valuable thing and it's a challenge," Anderson said. "All
the clients who want to go, we'll find them seats. It may take some time but
we'll get them up there."
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