NASA to allow TOURISTS aboard the International Space Station starting in 2020: Trip of a lifetime opens up to the public
- NASA said it will allow up to two private astronaut missions on ISS per year
- Each will last up to 30 days, and is currently estimated to be $35,000 per night
- Will launch with US craft developed through NASA’s Commercial Crew program
- This includes SpaceX’s Crew Dragon module and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner
NASA has announced a plan to allow tourists to fly on the International Space Station starting next year.
Up to two private astronaut missions will be allowed per year, each lasting 30 days at most.
But, a trip to space won’t come cheap – with life support systems and all necessary supplies considered, it will cost an eye-watering $35,000 per night.
The announcement came as NASA unveiled its new business model on Friday, revealing a plan to incorporate more commercial and marketing opportunities ‘both in low-Earth orbit and around the moon.’
NASA has announced a plan to allow tourists to fly on the International Space Station for the first time starting next year. File photo
‘Today is a very remarkable day. NASA is opening the International Space Station to commercial opportunities and marketing these opportunities as we’ve never done before,’ NASA’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWitt said in a press conference Friday morning.
‘This is all building off our upcoming Commercial Crew vehicles transporting astronauts, which will be used by both government and private citizen astronauts,’ DeWitt said.
These brief space tourism missions will be privately funded and may launch as early as 2020, according to NASA.
All rely on American spacecraft developed under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA had already tapped Boeing and SpaceX to develop crew modules for its commercial program. The two aerospace giants have been working for months to get their craft ready ahead of planned tests this year.
NASA says it will be making one station port available for commercial modules.
‘Enabling a vibrant economy in low-Earth orbit has always been a driving element of the space station program and will make space more accessible to all Americans,’ astronaut Christina Koch said in an announcement streamed from the ISS.
‘Transitioning to this new model of business is an important step to enable NASA to move full speed ahead toward our goal of landing the first woman and the next an on the moon.
‘Commercial companies will play an important role both here in low-Earth orbit an around the moon, working with NASA to test technologies, train astronauts, and develop a sustainable human presence.’
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