Laliberte Home

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte safely returned from his visit to ISS, landing in his Soyuz capsule on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Laliberte's trip was arranged by Space Adventures. So far, SA has had the space tourism industry all to itself, but that is scheduled to change over the next few years. Virgin Galactic plans to start offering suborbitil flights. SpaceX and Interorbital Systems are working on privately-owned spacecraft capable of orbital flight. Bigelow Aerospace is looking at establishing space hotels based on its inflatable structure technology. BA is also looking for a partner to deliver people to and from the hotels, which could give SpaceX and IOS a market for their craft.

Space Adventures is trying to maintain its leadership in the industry by offering a trip around the Moon aboard a Soyuz, which was originally designed to fly lunar missions. SA is not unchallenged, however. IOS plans its own lunar base, not simply for tourism, but to begin the creation of a diversified lunar economy. BA is touting its inflatable structures for bases on other worlds.

If even some of the projects now underway work out, Space Adventures' strategy will need to change radically for the company to prosper.