MirCorp plans to build spaceship for tourists

The International Space Station

MOSCOW (AP) -- The company set up to lease time on Russia's Mir space station will build a new manned spacecraft to carry paying clients into orbit, a company official said Wednesday.

The planned orbiter would cost about $100 million and take from 18 months to two years to develop, the MirCorp official said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. It would be capable of docking with the International Space Station.

The plans of Netherlands-based MirCorp had been unclear after the Russian government announced in November that it would discard the aging Mir, which had become too expensive and risky to keep in orbit.

MirCorp had lobbied to keep the craft flying for commercial programs, including rides for paying "space tourists." The company is owned in part by Energia, the Russian company that built the Mir.

A MirCorp board meeting in Moscow last week decided to retool the company to work with other Russian space equipment, according to a statement posted on the company's Web site on Tuesday.

In addition to working on a new orbiter, the company will market existing Russian space technology such as cargo vessels and will explore commercial projects on the new International Space Station, the statement said.

Under the new arrangement foreseen by MirCorp, the company would have access to a future Russian module on the space station. The station, manned now by two Russians and American commander Bill Shepherd, is a multibillion dollar craft with 16 participating countries.

U.S. space officials have been extremely skeptical of MirCorp's plans in the past.

The company's first paying customer, California businessman Dennis Tito, was scheduled to blast off for the Mir early next year. After the decision to ditch Mir, MirCorp said it might ask the Russian government for permission to fly Tito to the International Space Station.

MirCorp had also planned to orbit the winner of a planned NBC reality television series, "Destination Mir."

The company said it would try to honor existing contracts, possibly by using the new spacecraft.

"Where possible, all existing customers will have their programs fully implemented," the statement said.

MirCorp said it would seek to raise $6 million in new investment within six weeks to launch the new programs.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NBC not giving up yet on space-based 'Survivor' series
November 21, 2000
Pacific ditching for Mir in February
November 16, 2000
Shuttle lands after helping space station spread its wings
December 11, 2000
U.S. millionaire confident Russians will honor ticket to space
November 27, 2000

MirCorp Home page
Energia Ltd.
NASA Human SpaceFlight

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.