Posted: Mon, Dec 3, 2001, 10:09 PM ET (0309 GMT)
South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth has reached a deal with the Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos to fly to the International Space Station as a space tourist, the AFP news agency reported Monday. Shuttleworth's plans to be the second commercial space tourist, after Dennis Tito, seemed uncertain two months ago after Rosaviakosmos reportedly broke off negotiations with him, citing a series of unreasonable demands. However, both Russian officials and Shuttleworth later left open the possibility of reopening negotiations. Terms of the deal were not reported, nor the timeframe for his flight. AFP quoted Rosaviakosmos officials as saying that Shuttleworth could fly on a Soyuz taxi flight with a Russian cosmonaut and ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori.

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