The US company - Space Adventures and the HK Space Tour Corporation Ltd. signed an cooperation agreement Sunday in Shenzhen. The agreement marks the official landing of a rising high-tech tour program - "space trip" in China. Currently only the US Space Administration and Russian Space Agency allow opening private space tour programs. China will be the 34th region in which the US Space Adventures promotes private space tours worldwide.

In the future, ordinary Chinese can choose one of three tour programs: orbital space flight, suborbital flight and ground space training. Tourists who are to embark on the orbital space flight would live eight days at the International Space Station and circle the earth 120 times (about 3 million miles). To experience the thrilling feel of floating in the vast space would cost about $20 million.

By People's Daily Online