Special concrete purpose of their tourism flights?

The Russian explicitly are open to offer and do touristic flights by the Soyuz. And Space Adventures is working with them on the idea to do lunar flights also which tend to look to me as if their price is set so that tehre are significant profits.

Might these profits from space tourism have the purpose to finance the Kliper? Might this be valid also for the explicit intention to carry tourists at the Kliper too? Financing the Kliper by deposits?

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Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

The going rate for tourist flights to the ISS is around $US20 million I think. And people aren't exactly queuing to get on board.

It's reasonable to suggest that there is not going to be much if any market for a lunar tourist flight if the price is even more. Therefore I'd reckon that there'll be pretty much zip for funding the Klipper from that avenue.

No the Klipper's going to need massive government funding to get up. There's no real private interest being shown and it all boils down to cost. Like other government programs it's just too expensive. And that's why sub-orbital and orbital tourism won't happen until the price is drastically reduced as various private concerns are attempting to do now. Note that historically, government bodies haven't been seriously interested in either tourists or cost reduction - too many vested interests.

Perhaps the Chinese are the only ones who seem to be seriously attempting to commercialise their space spin off technology and involve 'private' organisations in their space program up front. Mind you, they have the advantage of learning from other's mistakes and picking up the best of the existing space programs as they've started later.

I note that the Japanese are re-evaluating their need for a increased space presence even going so far as considering a human space program of their own due to the developing Chinese program.

I remember having read an article under www.welt.de last week or the week before that tehy are thinking about the profitability of lunar Soyuz-flights and get the result that those flights are profitable only if two tourists but only one cosmonaut are flown to the Moon.

The profitability will have a purpose. Since there will be another vehicle than Kliper it may go into that other vehicle. ESA and JAXA might have to agree to touristic flights by the new vehicle because the Russians might base the financial part on such flights.

The article also said that the Russians have siad that via the lunar Soyuz-flights no landings will be offered - only round- and orbital trips. ...



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)