Soyuz Rides to Space Sell Out!

Anatoly Perminov, the director of the Russian Federal Space Agency, has announced that all Souyz rocket rides to the International Space Station by orbital 'tourists' have been sold out until 2009. A waiting list is available for subsequent space flights in 24-to-30 months.

With demand running high for Souyz orbital flights, the price was raised from $20-million to $21-million recently to meet materials cost. The tourist may also pay an additional $15-million for a space walk.

To try and meet the growing appetite for space travel, Miassishchev, a Russian aerospace firm, is developing a suborbital spacecraft for perhaps as low as $100,000. Anousheh Ansari is involved with the development of the suborbital spacecraft.