Thu, Sep 16, 2010
Space Adventures Will Market Seats On Boeing Commercial Crew
Spacecraft
Space tourism and other private space flight appeared to get a
boost Wednesday, as Boeing and Space Adventures announced the
establishment of a memorandum of agreement regarding the marketing
of anticipated transportation services to destinations in low Earth
orbit (LEO) on Boeing commercial crew spacecraft.
Under this agreement, Space Adventures will market passenger
seats on commercial flights aboard the Boeing Crew Space
Transportation-100 (CST-100) spacecraft to LEO. Potential customers
for excess seating capacity include private individuals, companies,
non-governmental organizations, and U.S. federal agencies other
than NASA. Boeing plans to use the CST-100 to provide crew
transportation to the International Space Station (ISS) and future
commercial LEO platforms.
"By combining our talents, we can better offer safe, affordable
transportation to commercial spaceflight customers," said Brewster
Shaw, vice president and general manager of Boeing's Space
Exploration division. "To date, all commercial flights for private
spaceflight participants to the ISS have been contracted by Space
Adventures. If NASA and the international partners continue to
accommodate commercial spaceflight participants on ISS, this
agreement will be in concert with the NASA administrator's stated
intent to promote space commerce in low Earth orbit."
Boeing and Space Adventures have not yet set a price per seat
for spaceflight participants, but will do so when full-scale
development is under way. Boeing continues to advance its design
for the CST-100 spacecraft under NASA’s Commercial Crew
Development Space Act Agreement. The spacecraft, which can carry
seven people, will be able to fly on multiple launch vehicles and
is expected to be operational by 2015.
"(O)ur goal is not only to benefit the individuals who fly to
space, but also to help make the resources of space available to
the commercial sector by bringing the value from space back to
Earth," said Eric Anderson, co-founder and chairman of Space
Adventures.
Boeing Commercial Crew Vehicle Concept
Space Adventures has successfully contracted and flown seven
spaceflight participants on eight missions to the International
Space Station.
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