Space, the next destination for Chinese tourists
Print Edition
Chinese travelers will be able to take trips into space by the end of 2014 thanks to an agreement signed in Beijing yesterday between a Chinese travel agency and the Netherlands-based space tourism firm Space Expedition Corporation.
Travelers will pay a minimum of 580,000 yuan (US$95,560) to board the Lynx Mark I spacecraft produced by the US private aerospace company XCOR, said Zhang Yong, chief executive officer of Dexo Travel, a Chinese travel agency focusing on high-end travelers.
Participants will receive a week of physical training at Royal Dutch Airlines or Air France before their trip, said Zhang.
“The spaceship only carries one tourist, who sits in the co-pilot seat, and a pilot astronaut,” he said.
“The spaceship arrives in outer space 60 minutes after take-off and will fly in space for 20 minutes while the tourist enjoys the view of Earth and the space,” he said.
The Lynx Mark I spacecraft, which is expected to begin flights in the fourth quarter of 2014, will take participants into sub-space to a height of 60 kilometers. The Lynx Mark II, which is expected to start flights in 2015, will take participants into space to a height of 103km, said Alex Tang, CEO of SXC Asia.
A total of 100 travelers will board the Lynx Mark I. There will be no quota for the number of participants on the Lynx Mark II, Tang said.
As Chinese customers have shown great interest in space trips, SXC has reserved at least six spots for Chinese on the Lynx Mark I, he said.
The spacecraft is constructed of lightweight materials and the engines are designed for more than 5,000 flights, instead of just one, which is a breakthrough in rocket development, according to the SXC website.
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