Roskosmos ready to send person to moon

Moscow, Apr 22: Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) has said it was ready to send country's richest person and London-based tycoon Roman Abramovich, on a flight around the Moon for 300 million dollars after 2010.

''Some press reports have said Roman Abramovich has submitted his candidacy for flying around the Moon for 300 million dollars,'' Russian Space Agency head Anatoly Perminov told RIA Novosti news agency.

''The figure is attractive, and we will consider the proposal after 2010,'' Perminov said adding until 2009 all space tourist flights had been signed up.

Meanwhile, the vice-president of the American Space Adventures space tourism company, Chris Faranetta said in Moscow today the company had been developing a project to fly two private citizens to the Moon and it already received the first applications.

Faranetta told reporters that the mission was priced at 100 million dollars.

He said if the project was launched and funded in 2007, the first tourists will fly to the Moon in five years.

However, he pointed out, exactly when the first investment would be made depended on the Russian Space Agency Roskosmos and Energia space corporation, since Space Adventures did not make spaceships.

''This impressive large-scale project can only be accomplished using Russia's Soyuz (Zond) launch vehicles and DM transfer stages,'' Faranetta said.

UNI