Russia will resume tourist flights into space.. / March 19, 2010 /

Since 2012 the number of annual launches of Soyuz "will be increased from four to five. Additional fifth run can be used to send to the ISS space tourist.

Tourist space flights were suspended in 2010. Since the permanent ISS crew has been increased from three to six people, the load on Roskosmos increased, and the agency has decided to abandon the space tourism.

The first tourist flight into space took place in 2001 — aboard the Soyuz TM-31 "at the International Space Station went to an American businessman Dennis Tito, the Italian origin. Last visited tourist in orbit in 2009 — it was the founder of the Canadian Cirque du Soleil Guy Laliberté. A total space tourists have visited the seven (one of them — Charles Simonyi — twice).

Recently, several private companies have stated that in the foreseeable future and intend to take up space tourism. One of them — Bigelow Aerospace — the newly hung on his job site for astronauts who will service the space hotel and a private space station. More information about this can be read here.

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