Space Adventures, Ltd., a company specializing in space tourism, returned to the spotlight for its plan to offer a touristic circumlunar journey. It would allow two tourists to orbit around the Moon coming to less than 100 km from its surface. The trip could take place in 2017 or 2018 but obviously the ticket isn’t exactly cheap as it’s rumored to cost $150 million.
Space Adventures was founded in 1998 by some people interested in space tourism such as Eric Anderson (photo ©Space Adventures), an aerospace engineer and entrepreneur in the field of space travel. Anderson is also one of the founders of Planetary Resources, Inc., a company that works in the same field that aims to develop the technologies needed to begin asteroid mining.
The circumlunar mission project is based on the use of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and a lunar module, which according to plans will be launched separately. The two tourists, along with a crew member who should be a Roscosmos cosmonaut who will command the Soyuz, will be sent to the International Space Station, where they will remain for 10 days to adapt to life in space.
When the tourists are ready, they’ll leave the Station and there will be a rendezvous between the Soyuz and the lunar module. It’s necessary because the Soyuz is very small while the lunar module contains a living module that will allow tourists to spend the six days of the circumlunar journey with the proper comfort.
Such a mission involves not only huge costs but also a really big organizational effort. Space Adventures has already worked with the Russian space agency Roscosmos for previous space tourism. The first one set up by the company happened already in 2001, when the billionaire Dennis Tito spent a few days on the International Space Station after he arrived on a Soyuz spacecraft.
In 2012, the English soprano Sarah Brightman announced that she’ll travel into space on a Soyuz spacecraft that will arrive on the International Space Station. Again, this trip is being set up thanks to a partnership between the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Space Adventures.
In short, a tourist circumlunar journey is a huge undertaking so far accomplished only by NASA but Space Adventures isn’t a company just born with that seeks funding announcing huge projects. Now it’s hard to say if they pull it off but, if so, in a few years traveling in space could become trendy for billionaires.
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