Vienna, VA.-based Space Adventures said Wednesday that it's booked two added passenger seats for orbital flights on the Russian Soyuz rocket in the coming years, upping its commitment in the tourist spaceflight market. The company, which was the first to send a private citizen into space on the Soyuz, said that because of consumer demand, it has reserved two commercial seats on flights in fall 2008 and spring 2009, under contract with the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation. And Space Adventures is negotiating terms for flights in 2010 and beyond. (Previously, it has sent one tourist up at a time.)
The space-travel company said it has fliers for upcoming trips, but it's clearly looking for more takers. "We have finalized the contracts with those who will fly on future seats, but we are always willing to speak to multiple individuals for a specific seat and encourage other interested parties to step forward and contact us, because the most willing and committed ultimately gets to go first," Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures, said in a statement.
Did we mention that it can cost as much as $20 million for the trip?