Is $70 million per seat too much – even for a flight to space?
Russia is apparently charging NASA $70 million per seat on an upcoming interstellar flight to the International Space Station, which works out to a whopping $424 million bill for six astronauts.
With the end of the US Shuttle program, Russia is the only game in town for the US to send their astronauts into space, and the Russians are charging dearly. $70 million per seat is actually a raise on the previously reported price of $65 million per seat, but it seems the price tag has gone up. The flight is scheduled for 2016, but NASA administrators are lobbying Congress hard for money to build their own crafts instead.
On the flip side, if you’ve some got some spare cash around, $70 million per seat is a bargain for a civilian wanting to see the ISS up close.