News tagged with space tourism

Private spaceship makes first solo glide flight (w/ Video)

Virgin Galactic's space tourism rocket SpaceShipTwo achieved its first solo glide flight Sunday, marking another step in the company's eventual plans to fly paying passengers.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Oct 11, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (25) | comments 7

Runway unveiled for world's first 'tourist' spaceship (Update 3)

The world's first commercial passenger spaceship moved a step closer to takeoff, as tycoon Richard Branson unveiled a new runway at a remote New Mexico spaceport.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Oct 22, 2010 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (23) | comments 16

Space hotel taking bookings for 2012 opening

(PhysOrg.com) -- The first orbiting space hotel is on track to open for its first customers in 2012, but hurry, as bookings are filling fast.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 05, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (23) | comments 11 weblog

Sir Richard Branson All Fired Up With Latest Rocket Motor Test

Virgin Galactic owned by Sir Richard Branson completed a successful test on May 28, 2009 of its hybrid nitrous oxide motor designed by Scaled Composites and a subcontractor Sierra Nevada Corporation. The ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created May 31, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (15) | comments 16 weblog

Maiden flight for Virgin Galactic's 'SpaceShipTwo' (Update)

Virgin Galactic's experimental SpaceshipTwo (SS2), an aircraft designed to one day carry paying customers into space, had its maiden flight in the California desert Monday, company officials announced.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Mar 22, 2010 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (16) | comments 15

Virgin to launch space tourism in 18 months: Branson

Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson said Monday that Virgin Galactic is on track to offer commercial space travel within 18 months, and that space hotels are next on the drawing board.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Sep 27, 2010 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (10) | comments 15

Russian company to build 'space hotel' with home comforts

A Russian company on Wednesday announced plans to launch a comfortable space hotel for tourists who up to now have shared cramped accommodation with astronauts, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Sep 29, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 3

Russia to reopen space tourism in 2013: company

Russia will reopen its Soyuz space ships to paying tourists in 2013 after a hiatus since 2009, the US-based company that organises the trips with Russia's space agency said Wednesday.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 12, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 3

US ramping up private sector's role in spaceflight

The first flight of a commercial vessel to the International Space Station in late April will signal a bigger role for the private sector and open up space tourism opportunities, industry experts and lawmakers ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Mar 25, 2012 | popularity 2.6 / 5 (10) | comments 4

Russia wants to charge more for rides to space: report

Russia, which is set to hold a monopoly on flights to the international space station (ISS), wants to charge more for rides on its Soyuz rocket, the space agency head said Tuesday.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Feb 09, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 6

First-time cosmonauts set to blast off with toy duck

Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov brandished a small toy duck Friday as he and his crewmates prepared to blast off to the International Space Station (ISS) in April.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Mar 19, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Boeing inks deal to put tourists in space by 2015

US aerospace giant Boeing has forged an alliance with marketing firm Space Adventure to put tourists into low-level orbit in a futuristic capsule by early 2015.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Sep 16, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Space -- the next frontier for Hillary Clinton?

She has been the US secretary of state, a senator and nearly became president, but Hillary Clinton joked Thursday that she might want to try another role -- space tourist.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Apr 26, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

$7M spaceport runway extension OK'd

(AP) -- The nearly two-mile-long runway at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico will have to be extended to accommodate Virgin Galactic's sleek rocket-powered spacecraft, spaceport officials confirmed ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Mar 30, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 1

Calif. space tourism firm launches S. Korea deal

(AP) -- A California company developing a rocket plane for space tourism announced Thursday that it has an agreement with a nonprofit group in South Korea to conduct launches in that nation.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Dec 18, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Space tourism

Space tourism is the recent phenomenon of tourists paying for flights into space pioneered by Russia.

As of 2009, orbital space tourism opportunities are limited and expensive, with only the Russian Space Agency providing transport. The price for a flight brokered by Space Adventures to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft is $20–35 million.

Infrastructure for a suborbital space tourism industry is being developed through the construction of spaceports in numerous locations, including California, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, Alaska, Wisconsin, Esrange in Sweden as well as the United Arab Emirates. Some use the term "personal spaceflight" as in the case of the Personal Spaceflight Federation.

A number of startup companies have sprung up in recent years, hoping to create a space tourism industry. For a list of such companies, and the spacecraft they are currently building, see list of space tourism companies.

For more information about Space tourism, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.