Space travel insurance offered
Published On 8 March 2007
A major travel insurance company is preparing to offer insurance coverage for space travel.Bupa currently offers travel insurance in other specialist areas like skiing and gap year insurance and is set to offer a package to those that wish to venture into space.
The move comes as Richard Branson plans to start test space flights this year and debut full space travel by 2009.
"We provide insurance cover to people in 190 countries so it wouldn't be a giant leap to add outer space to that list," said Nick Potter head of Bupa Travel.
"We are looking into space tourism as a real market for the next generation of travellers, especially as Russian cosmonauts have already taken tourists up into space."
Certain issues, such as the effects that space travel has on the human body, must be taken into account, added Mr Potter.
The US space agency Nasa has signed a deal with Virgin Galactic to work together on research and development, it was announced last week.
