Russia plans to take first tourist on space walk in 2023

Moscow: Russia´s Energia space corporation said Thursday it will take the first tourist on a space walk in 2023, under the terms of a new contract with a US partner. Energia has inked a contract with Space Adventures, which promises to take two space tourists to the International Space Station that year. “We plan that one of the participants of the expedition will do a space walk from the Russian segment, together with a professional Russian cosmonaut,” said Energia, which is part of Russia´s space agency Roscosmos. The announcement comes days after NASA signed a deal with Richard Branson´s Virgin Galactic space tourism company to promote private missions to the station after a special training program in the US.