Space Tourism Adventure of a Lifetime
SpaceX and Space Adventures Join Forces to Launch Tourists into Space
Source: SpaceX Crew Dragon |
Orbiting High Above the International Space Station
Elon Musk's SpaceX and Virginia based Space Adventures are joining forces to send four tourists on a dedicated Crew Dragon mission to space. Crew Dragon is a completely autonomous spacecraft developed by SpaceX with three windows. The design and windows are aimed at providing tourists, scientists and astronauts with a great view of the earth, moon and solar system as they whisk through space. The tourist space trip will last for five days and will fly in orbit twice as high as the International Space Station
World Altitude Record Targeted
The flight will occur in late 2021. It's aimed at setting a new world record. Targeting an orbit twice higher than the International Space Station will result in the world altitude record for private citizen space flight. ISS orbits at an altitude of 410 kilometers. Crew Dragon wants to orbit at an altitude of 1000 kilometers plus.
Is This a $52 Million Ticket to Fly?
There are several fascinating unknowns about this adventure. First, the cost for a ticket. Some reports suggest is might be as high as $52 million per seat. And, the Crew Dragon is fully autonomous. It's not known if the tourists will be joined by an astronaut.
All US Space Technology
Space Adventures is best known for arranging flights for private citizens to the International Space Station. The US company has ferried 7 private citizens to the ISS using Russian made Soyuz spacecraft. This new venture with SpaceX and Crew Dragon will be the first orbital space tourism experience on entirely US space technology. This year, SpaceX is scheduled to launch NASA astronauts to the ISS on Crew Dragon for the first time. It's the dawn of opening up space travel to ordinary citizens.
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