The Russian Roscosmos space agency has temporarily halted "space tourism" because of NASA's decision to retire the Space Shuttle program-a move that has forced Russia to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to transporting American, European, Japanese and Canadian astronauts to and from the space station through 2014. That leaves no room for tourists.
Russia, however, is building another Soyuz craft that will allow it to resume civilian flights in 2013 or 2014, depending on demand, according to Alexey Krasnov, head of the Roscosmos Human Spaceflight Directorate.
Officials with Space Adventures say three civilian seats will be available on Russian space flights in the near future. The firm is also advertising a host of other space-like experiences for those not brave enough, or wealthy enough, to go all the way to the space station. It is, for instance, planning to offer suborbital space flights in conjunction with Armadillo Aerospace for $102,000 per seat.
That's about half the price of the highly publicized flights that are being planned by Virgin Galactic, but slightly more than the $95,000 price advertised by RocketShip Tours for a ride in XCOR Aerospace's Lynx rocket.
Private market competition is driving development of the new industry, but public support is also entering the mix. The state of New Mexico is building the estimated $209 million Spaceport America near the White Sands Missile Range and opened its first runway last October. Virgin Galactic is putting its world headquarters there and the Space Adventures/Armadillo flights are expected to launch from there, as well. RocketShip/XCOR's flights are planned to depart from the Mojave Spaceport.
Hundreds of people have already paid to fly with only a pilot/astronaut or in a small group to the edge of space with one of the three enterprises, although none has a firm date for its first flights.
Travelers will experience a suborbital flight of an hour or two, depending on the carrier, that includes rocketing at Mach 2 or faster, at least 62 miles up to the edge of space-high enough up so the blue sky turns to black and the curvature of the earth is clearly visible. Passengers will also get to experience five minutes of weightlessness before descending back to earth.
The training required for suborbital flight is also much less grueling than orbital trips, for which civilian passengers need to be physically fit and undergo training for about six months. According to the various carriers, most healthy adults will qualify for a suborbital flight and they will need to train anywhere from six hours to five days. RocketShip notes its trainees will stay in a luxury resort.
Meanwhile, Space Adventures is working on a trip that is beyond the reach of even the average millionaire: a Soyuz voyage that will orbit the moon. The company reports they have sold one of two available seats and hope to have the second booked by the end of the year, with the first trip planned for 2015. The out of this world price? According to Space.com, it's a cool $150 million.