Space Adventures to launch world's fourth space tourist

Space Adventures to launch world's fourth space tourist
Daisuke Enomoto, a resident of Hong Kong and a Japanese entrepreneur is set to become the world's fourth space tourist come October 2006. This was declared by Space Adventures who have in the past have arranged space rides for Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth and lately Greg Olsen. But Enomoto will be the first Japanese national to achieve this feet if and when it happens.

Last November, almost exactly a year back, Enomoto struck a deal of 20 million dollar (2.3 billion yen) deal with U.S. space travel firm Space Adventures for this sojourn.

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He has already gone through the tedious medical procedures which took place for many months and now, the next ten months will see him undertaking rigorous training for his dream space flight. In fact, the 34-year-old has even started intense training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

Enomoto's travel path comprises taking off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then spending nearly a week at the International Space Station.

Expressing his joy on this occasion, Enomoto said “I am proud to be the first private citizen from Japan to begin training for an orbital spaceflight”.

Earlier a chief strategic officer of Livedoor, a Japanese IT firm and presently an independent investor, Enomoto also confessed that he always dreamt of exploring space.

A geek follower of the famous Gundam robot animation series, this college dropout said he will wear the outfit of "Char Aznable”- a leading pilot in the Gundam series.

Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures, the world's leading space tourism company, congratulated Enomoto and also wished him good luck for training.

“We encourage people from all around the world to explore the final frontier”, says Anderson on the objective behind Space Adventures.

Space Adventures arranges trips for the wealthy voyagers who have a keen interest in space. The sole corporation to launch private explorers into space and also offer varied kind of programs like Zero-Gravity and MiG flights, cosmonaut training, spaceflight qualification programs, it has its headquarters in Arlingtion, Va. with offices in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Moscow, and Tokyo.