SPACE.com -- Tito Flying to Station with Space Adventures

Europe"s Station Chief Opposes Millionaire"s Visit to ISS

Tito: NASA Not an Issue Regarding ISS Trip

Titos Flight Formally Approved by Rosaviacosmos


	Tito Flying to Station with Space Adventures By Anthony Duignan-Cabrera Managing Editor posted: 11:09 am ET 06 February 2001

ARLINGTON, VA - Space Adventures, provider of space flights and other space experiences for private citizens, disclosed Feb

Space Adventures, the Arlington, Virginia-based company that offers space experiences like zero-gravity flights to private citizens, announced today that it was key in arranging California millionaire Dennis Tito's proposed flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

Tito, who finalized his flight contract with Rosaviacosmos (the Russian Aviation & Space Agency) last week, is scheduled to be a passenger on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft set to launch to the ISS on April 30.

The pioneering "space tourist" was originally to fly to Russia's ailing Mir space station, however in December of last year the Russian government decided to deorbit the 15-year-old outpost. The ship is scheduled to brought back to Earth on or around March 8, 2001.

Last year, the Amsterdam-based MirCorp attempted to keep the Mir program alive by trying to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from private investors. With the imminent demise of Mir, Tito and Space Adventures re-focused their efforts on the possibilities of a flight to the ISS.

Eric Anderson, CEO of Space Adventures, first presented Tito with the concept of an ISS flight in March of 2000. Two months later, Tito signed a contract with Space Adventures.

Tito's original investment of $20 million for the trip to Mir was held in an escrow account. According to Anderson, Tito's contract to fly to ISS is only between RSC Energia, the Russian space agency and the Cosmonaut Training Center.

"Tito will have to pay the Russian space agency directly for the cost of the flight," Anderson said. "I would assume the funds will be removed from the MirCorp escrow account and transferred the Russian space agency."

Both Tito and MirCorp president Jeffrey Manber were not immediately available for comment.

Space Adventures has worked closely with several Russian space organizations, including the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, to provide comprehensive training, along with logistical and legal support for all aspects of Tito's upcoming flight.

In support of Tito's flight, Space Adventures is currently organizing a trip for private citizen explorers and the press to Baikonur, Kazakhstan to view the launch on April 30, 2001. In addition, Space Adventures said in the same release that it is working to make available another private citizen flight opportunity to the International Space Station later in 2001.

SPACE.com Communities Producer Robert Pearlman contributed to this report.