By Fakir Balaji

The rich and spirited can now book passage to outer space and orbit the earth for about $275,000 aboard a Euro shuttle, beginning in 2012.

The European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) Astrium will launch space-tourism packages for global customers with a fleet of space shuttles in the next five years.

“Customers willing to cough up the money can take the ride for a space picnic in lower orbits lasting a few hours and return with all the thrills of celestial excitement,” said Astrium chief engineer and space tourism project manager, Christopher Chavagnac, during a recent visit to India.

Addressing the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2007) in Chandigarh, Chavagnac told delegates that the weekly trips will be in a space plane that would take off like an airplane but get into hypersonic mode to zip like a rocket into outer space to about 100 km above the earth.

“Space tourists will be able to experience what has been a privilege of about 450 astronauts and cosmonauts who flew into outer space and beyond over the past five decades on scientific and exploratory missions,” Chavagnac pointed out.

The company plans to begin the space tourist project in 2009 when the initial $1-billion funding is in place.

Presenting a mock-up of the passenger cabin of the spaceship being planned for tourist flights, Chavagnac said the sub-orbital space plane has been designed and developed over the past 12-18 months to accomodate  four passengers per trip who will be able to experience weightlessness (zero gravity).

To date, only the Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) has been involved in space tourism, taking a few wealthy  individuals to the International Space Station (ISS) on its Soyuz spacecraft for about $30 million.

As flights in to space or to the ISS are limited and expensive, even with the astronomical price tag, trips have  been booked through 2009.

“We plan to offer short trips to ensure customers get a feel of conditions in space and return on the same day without staying back onboard an operational spacecraft like the ISS or even a defunct one,” Chavagnac said.

With discerning individuals willing to pay up, space tourism has become de rigueur with wealthy adventurers.

“The attractions of space tourism are the uniqueness of such an experience, the thrill and awe of looking at earth from space, which is described by astronauts as intense and mind-boggling, the notion of achieving a status symbol and the kick of weightlessness,” he noted.

Set up in 2000, EADS is an aerospace corporation formed by the merger of Aerospatiale-Matra of France, Construcciones Aeronauticas SA (CASA) of Spain and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) of Germany.

The Paris-based global aerospace firm develops and markets civil and military aircraft, space rockets satellites and related systems.