--- title: "Russia Says It’s Sending Two Tourists to the International Space Station, Including a Spacewalk" description: "After Russia halted its orbital space tourism program in 2010, the country's space agency Roscosmos is planning to send two citizens to the ISS in 2023." date: "2020-06-26" modified: "2020-06-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-two-tourists-international-space-station-2023" categories: - "International Space Station" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "Roscosmos" - "Russia" - "space tourism" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # Russia Says It’s Sending Two Tourists to the International Space Station, Including a Spacewalk ![After Russia halted its orbital space tourism program in 2010, the country's space agency Roscosmos is planning to send two citizens to the ISS in 2023.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Back in the Game For the first time since Russia [halted]() its orbital space tourism program in 2010 due to growing International Space Station crew sizes, the country's space agency Roscosmos is getting back into the game. The country is planning to send two tourists to the station in 2023 inside a Soyuz spacecraft, [according to ]()the *Agence France-Presse*. One of them will even go for a spacewalk outside the station — something that's never been attempted before, as such a mission requires extensive — and costly— training. ## Space Adventure Roscosmos is partnering with Virginia-based space tourism company Space Adventures for the tourism program. The Russian space agency has already flown seven citizens to the station with the help of the company. "A private citizen completing a spacewalk would be another huge step forward in private spaceflight,” Eric Anderson, Space Adventures CEO, said in [a statement](). "We appreciate the chance to celebrate two decades of orbital space tourism with our Russian partners by opening up another first-ever experience." ## SpaceX Connection The news comes after SpaceX [successfully launched]() two NASA astronauts to the station using its reusable Crew Dragon capsule. Plans to use the same shuttle for space tourists are already in the works. SpaceX [announced]() its own partnership with Space Adventures back in February — an interesting connection, since there's [at least some bad blood]() between SpaceX and the Russian space program. **READ MORE:** [Roscosmos says it will send two tourists to the space station in 2023 — and one of them will spacewalk]() \[*The Verge*\] ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()