NEW YORK (Reuters)
- Google co-founder Sergey Brin wants to go to space and has made a $5
million down payment to book a seat on a future orbital space flight
with Space Adventures, the space tourism company said on Wednesday.
The company said it was creating an Orbital Mission Explorers Circle
of members who will each contribute $5 million to pay for the company
to launch its first private mission to the International Space Station.
The $5 million will be credited to the cost of a future space
flight, which could cost $35 million or more, Space Adventures CEO Eric
Anderson said.
The down payment gives members first option on a seat on the mission.
"I am a big believer in the exploration and commercial development
of the space frontier and am looking forward to the possibility of
going into space," Brin said in a statement.
Previously Space Adventures has bought seats on Russian missions to
the International Space Station for its clients but Anderson said it
would now build its own rocket for fully private missions that could
start as soon as 2011.
(Reporting by Claudia Parsons; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Bill Trott)
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