spacetoday.net: Space Adventures to send Japanese tourist to ISS

Posted: Thu, May 20, 2004, 7:14 AM ET (1114 GMT)
ISS illustration (NASA)

American space tourism company Space Adventures announced this week that it has signed an agreement with a Japanese advertising company to send a Japanese tourist to the International Space Station. The agreement with Dentsu, the world's largest advertising agency, allows one Japanese tourist to fly to the ISS some time in 2005 or 2006, after the flight of American businessman Gregory Olsen in April 2005. Dentsu plans to choose a "prominent individual" from Japanese sports, entertainment, or similar areas. Last year Space Adventures signed an agreement with the predecessor of Russia's current Federal Space Agency to allow four space tourists to fly to the ISS on Soyuz missions; two of those flight opportunities are still available.