Millionairess Anousheh Ansari May Go to Orbit

Anousheh Ansari, a Founding Trustee of the $10-million Ansari X-Prize and ever-growing figure in NewSpace, is the active alternate for the spring 2007 tourist seat aboard a Soyuz spacecraft bound for the International Space Station. A contract has been executed with the Russian space agency making Ansari the back-up cosmonaut for Japanese Internet millionaire Daisuke 'Dice-K' Enomoto.

A 38 year old millionairess telecom entrepreneur and Iranian-born naturalized American of Plano, Texas, Ms.Ansari would be the first female space tourist. The Ansari family owns the Prodea firm investing in the emerging United Arab Emirates spaceport and a new Russian-made "Explorer" suborbital spacecraft.