Northern Virginia firm partnering with SpaceX to launch space tours on Dragon craft

Northern Virginia company to boost space tourism

Virginia-based Space Adventures wants space travel to be a common occurrence. On Tuesday, the firm announced that it’s partnering with SpaceX to launch tourists into orbit.

VIENNA, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - Virginia-based Space Adventures wants space travel to be a common occurrence.

On Tuesday, the firm announced that it’s partnering with SpaceX to launch tourists into orbit.

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Space Adventures will use SpaceX’s Dragon craft as a vessel for private citizens that will orbit the earth and offer breathtaking views according to Tom Shelley, the firm’s president.

“I’ve watched the development of SpaceX and the dragon spacecraft over the last few years and we’ve been really waiting for this opportunity to announce for our future customers and really help them expand humanities reach further into space,” says Shelley.

(Photo by Tim Peake / ESA/NASA via Getty Images)

Previously, Space Adventures would facilitate flights to the International Space Station using the Russian Soyuz rocket.

Shelley says the Dragon craft will be able to fly much higher than the Russian Rocket and will offer passengers a flight around the earth.

Although the prices for the trip are hidden, Shelley says it will fall in line with similar experiences—experiences that can run you anywhere between $30 to $50 Million dollars.

Shelley expects the service to be available as early as 2021.