NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google co-founder Sergey Brin wants to go to space and has made a $5 million down payment to book a seat on a future orbital space flight with Space Adventures, the space tourism company said on Wednesday.
The company said it was creating an Orbital Mission Explorers Circle of members who will each contribute $5 million to pay for the company to launch its first private mission to the International Space Station.
The $5 million will be credited to the cost of a future space flight, which could cost $35 million or more, Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson said.
The down payment gives members first option on a seat on the mission.
"I am a big believer in the exploration and commercial development of the space frontier and am looking forward to the possibility of going into space," Brin said in a statement.
Previously Space Adventures has bought seats on Russian missions to the International Space Station for its clients but Anderson said it would now build its own rocket for fully private missions that could start as soon as 2011.
(Reporting by Claudia Parsons; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Bill Trott)
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