NASA has officially announced on its blog that the International Space Station(ISS) will be open to tourism and other commercial opportunities. The tourist will be allowed to visit the ISS from 2020.
Three senior members of NASA including NASA Chief Financial Officer, Jeff DeWitt made an announcement at NASDAQ stock exchange in New York saying that ” the International Space Station is open for commercial business“. You will be allowed to stay at ISS for a 30-day long trip as stated by NASA. This trip would cost about 35,000 dollars (Rs 24,28,650) per person per night.
According to NASA, private companies like Boeing and SpaceX will be able to buy time and space on the International Space Station for testing, producing and marketing their products. Furthermore, these private companies can also use the ISS’s resources and astronaut expertise.
Using the Toilet and acquiring the basic life support at ISS would cost you about $11,250. And for crew supplies which includes food, air, medical kit, exercise equipment etc, you will have to spend $22,500 each day. You can see the rate chart below:
According to Reuters, the cost of an entire flight to the ISS would be 50 million dollars per seat as said by Jeff. NASA is also planning to open commercial markets at the ISS at the low Earth-orbit to increase their economy.
There would be only 2 trips to ISS per year. And the private companies like SpaceX and Boeing will make trips happen. Each trip will last up to 30 days only. NASA is also conducting a number of experiments and research to properly commercialize the ISS. NASA has also commissioned 12 companies to study and understand the commercial and voyage possibilities at the ISS.
