China due to get its first space tourist

A Chinese businessman based in Zhejiang province has paid close to around 103,000 pounds to become the first individual from the country to travel to space as a tourist.

He is now expected to visit the space by the end of year 2008. He is amongst the first batch comprising of around 100 passengers who would travel aboard Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo on a trip to the space.

Shanghai-based Rupert Hoogewerf, an advisor to the Virgin said in a statement that around twenty men and three women from China had applied for this trip and they are yet to select a female Chinese space traveler.

He added that the man selected for the trip from china is under 40 and he has asked his identity to be kept a secret.