According to the latest data, only 559 people have visited orbit during the entire existence of the space industry. However, in a few years this figure may increase many times over. Everyone dreams of space tourism. SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin - they all want to reach the level of permanent space launches. Russia, which intends to build a "luxury hotel" on the ISS, has also decided to join the trend of "accessible space travel", Popular Mechanics reports.
A similar desire was announced at the beginning of the year. At that time, the general director of the rocket and space corporation Vladimir Solntsev said the following:
“The ISS is loaded by 30%. This is an all-Russian trend, underutilization. There is a topic of expansion of the Russian segment and replacement, our modules on the ISS fly for 20-25 years, and they have run out of resources, and their use for experiments and serious work is less and less expedient. Why not, let's say, transform it into some kind of space hotel, relatively speaking. Adapt the modules that we have for space tourism."
The plans, as it became known, were not abandoned, but instead of using the modules already available on the International Space Station, the option of creating a new one is now being considered. The developer of the module is Energia Corporation, which is currently looking for funds to create the unit. According to the available information, it is planned to rework the design of a scientific and energy module (SEM) with a mass of 20 tons, a length of 15.5 meters and a volume of 92 cubic meters for a space hotel, the original version of which is currently being developed. According to the draft Federal Space Program for 2016-2025, the launch of the NEM to the ISS is scheduled for 2019. As for the processing of the module into a space hotel, this will be done within the framework of a public-private partnership.
Schematic diagram of the design of the scientific and energy module NEM-1.
In total, four sleeping cabins, two medical rooms with a volume of two cubic meters, as well as a relaxation area with a 426 mm window can be equipped inside the block. Each tourist will have a separate sleeping cabin with a volume of two cubic meters with a porthole with a diameter of 228 millimeters, as well as personal hygiene products, exercise equipment and access to Wi-Fi.
The cost of one ticket will be $ 40 million. For this price, a tourist can spend one or two weeks on board the International Station. For an additional fee of $ 20 million, tourists can be offered an open space walk accompanied by a professional astronaut, as well as extend their stay on the ISS up to a whole month.
Dennis Tito, the world's first space tourist, after landing in the steppes of Kazakhstan on May 6, 2001.
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The cost of developing the Russian tourist module is estimated at 16.4-26.2 billion rubles. In order to recoup these costs as quickly as possible, RSC Energia plans to send two tourists to the ISS, accompanied by one professional cosmonaut. If it is possible to carry out four launches of "Soyuz" annually, the number of tourists at the station within the framework of short visits can be increased to six. According to the corporation's estimates, at this rate, the tourist block will be able to pay off in about 7 years.
To reduce costs, RSC Energia wants to find at least 12 people willing to pay for a pre-order of about $ 4 million in order to start developing the orbital hotel module. Two years before the scheduled departure of two tourists to the ISS, the corporation will expect a payment of $ 12.6 million, and just before departure - the last tranche of $ 10.8 million. By the way, Virgin Galactic used a similar approach when it was just beginning to embody its ambitions in the field of space tourism.
According to expert estimates, the number of multimillionaires in the world is constantly growing. It is estimated that by 2021 there will be more than 43,000 people worldwide, with a fortune of more than $ 30 million. If at least 36 people from this number (that is, 0.33 percent) decide on a unique space travel, then the module will not only pay off, but also start to make a profit.
Despite such ambitious plans, the proponents are aware that they face several serious problems. The main, of course, is the technical complexity of assembling and equipping the tourist module, even taking into account the existing drawings. The second issue is timing. According to RSC Energia specialists, it will take five years to create the module. That is, its actual launch to the ISS may take place no earlier than 2022, and possibly even later. It should be remembered that government support for the International Space Station will only last until 2028. In other words, there is a risk that the module simply will not have time to pay for itself, especially against the background of an unstable situation on the currency market.
Nikolay Khizhnyak