Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos and US-based company Space Adventures have signed a contract to organize a flight of two space tourists to the International Space Station (ISS) before the end of 2021, a spokesman for the US space tourism company told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2019) Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos and US-based company Space Adventures have signed a contract to organize a flight of two space tourists to the International Space Station (ISS) before the end of 2021, a spokesman for the US space tourism company told Sputnik.
"A contract on the flight of two tourists before the end of 2021 was signed," Sergei Kostenko said.
Candidates for the flight may be submitted soon, but the company is not planning to disclose their identities so far, Kostenko added.
A spokesperson for Roscosmos noted that this contract would allow to additionally load the production facilities of Russia's Energia Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC Energia), Progress Rocket Space Center, Center for Operation of Space Ground Based Infrastructure and other enterprises of the rocket and space industry.
"Industry enterprises have already started to create the Soyuz MS manned spacecraft and the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket for the tourist space flight. The implementation of all works on the creation of space equipment will be carried out at the expense of the space tourists," the spokesperson said.
According to Roscosmos, the Russian corporation and Space Adventure have been cooperating in the field of space tourism since 2001, when the first space tourist, Dennis Tito, got his trip to orbit. A total of seven people have been in space under the space tourism program since then.
