Microsoft Software Billionaire First Tourist to Go to Space Twice
Charles Simonyi, who paid $60m for two trips, on board 19th International Space Station mission
Charles Simonyi, the American software billionaire, took off on his second rocket trip as a space tourist today - becoming the first to go into space twice.
He was onboard the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft, which took off into the leaden skies from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on schedule at 1149 GMT today, and is due to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) in two days' time.
Fellow cosmonaut Gennady Padalka from Russia told a live feed from the craft after take-off: "We are feeling well. Everything is going well." As he spoke, a fluffy white toy could be seen hanging above the crew in the cabin. A US astronaut, Michael Barratt, is also onboard.
Simonyi, 60, who was born in Hungary, made his fortune developing software at Microsoft, before setting up his own company. He is the fifth space tourist - and the second Hungarian - to go into space and first made a two-week trip to the ISS in April 2007.
At an observation post near the launch pad, Simonyi's wife, Lisa Persdotter, burst into tears and hugged her relatives as the rocket took off and gradually disappeared from view. His friends, including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, opened bottles of champagne and cheered as loudspeakers at Baikonur announced the blast-off had been successful.
Simonyi, who has paid $60m for his two trips, has promised this will be his last. "I cannot fly for the third time because I have just married and I have to spend time with my family."
He is due to return to earth on 7 April with Michael Fincke, US commander of outgoing Expedition 19, and Russian flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov.
Eric Anderson, head of Space Adventures, the company arranging space trips, said: "He is in great spirits, he is very excited. He feels very privileged to be able to go into space again."
A Russian space industry source has told Reuters that two space tourists could be launched in 2011. Space Adventures has admitted its business had been affected by the global financial crisis. "The number of billionaires has been cut in half," Anderson told the agency. "It's a very long-term thing. You don't just wake up in the morning one day and decide to go into space."
He was onboard the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft, which took off into the leaden skies from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on schedule at 1149 GMT today, and is due to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) in two days' time.
Fellow cosmonaut Gennady Padalka from Russia told a live feed from the craft after take-off: "We are feeling well. Everything is going well." As he spoke, a fluffy white toy could be seen hanging above the crew in the cabin. A US astronaut, Michael Barratt, is also onboard.
Simonyi, 60, who was born in Hungary, made his fortune developing software at Microsoft, before setting up his own company. He is the fifth space tourist - and the second Hungarian - to go into space and first made a two-week trip to the ISS in April 2007.
At an observation post near the launch pad, Simonyi's wife, Lisa Persdotter, burst into tears and hugged her relatives as the rocket took off and gradually disappeared from view. His friends, including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, opened bottles of champagne and cheered as loudspeakers at Baikonur announced the blast-off had been successful.
Simonyi, who has paid $60m for his two trips, has promised this will be his last. "I cannot fly for the third time because I have just married and I have to spend time with my family."
He is due to return to earth on 7 April with Michael Fincke, US commander of outgoing Expedition 19, and Russian flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov.
Eric Anderson, head of Space Adventures, the company arranging space trips, said: "He is in great spirits, he is very excited. He feels very privileged to be able to go into space again."
A Russian space industry source has told Reuters that two space tourists could be launched in 2011. Space Adventures has admitted its business had been affected by the global financial crisis. "The number of billionaires has been cut in half," Anderson told the agency. "It's a very long-term thing. You don't just wake up in the morning one day and decide to go into space."
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