Renowned software developer Charles Simonyi has passed the medical test needed to become a "space tourist", the Space Adventures company that arranges private space travel said Thursday. "We at Space Adventures congratulate Charles and look forward to his launch," Space Adventures said in a statement.
A decision has still to be taken on when the 57-year-old will make his flight to the International Space Station aboard a Russian rocket, the ITAR-TASS news agency quoted an official with the Russian space agency Roskosmos, Alexei Krasnov, as saying.
The flight could take place in spring of next year or autumn of 2008, Krasnov said.
Simonyi was responsible for designing flagship applications for Microsoft that ensured the company's rise to global dominance.
Such space tourists typically pay about 20 million dollars for their flights, which last just over a week and require several months of training.
Source: Agence France-Presse
