Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Plans to Send Space Tourists on ‘Gagarin Route’ by 2021

Roscosmos

Russia’s state space agency has announced plans to send tourists into space along the route taken by the first man in space over the next two years.

Legendary Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin made history as the first human to orbit the Earth when he spent 108 minutes in space in 1961.

“We’re [...] launching a flight path that orbits the Earth along a shortened ‘Gagarin route,’” Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Roscosmos space agency, tweeted Tuesday.

“This will reduce the flight preparation time for those wishing to see our planet from space,” he explained.

Roscosmos announced it had signed a deal with the U.S. space tourism firm Space Adventures to send two civilians to the International Space Station (ISS) by late 2021.

https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1097746085823549440

Rogozin told the RBC news website in January that Roscosmos had “already started negotiations with potential partners” on offering a Gagarin space route after 2020 to bring the space agency commercial success.

Previously, he pledged that Russia will deliver astronauts and tourists to the ISS in less time than it takes to fly from Moscow to Brussels.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more