Job titles of the future: Space travel agent
Roman Chiporukha has launched SpaceVIP, a service that acts as a luxury travel agent for private space exploration. He coordinates high-net-worth individuals with aerospace companies like Axiom Space and SpaceX for missions to the International Space Station.
Why it matters
The emergence of space travel agencies signals the maturation of the commercial spaceflight market and the increasing accessibility of space for private citizens.
Roman Chiporukha is turning from earthbound luxury travel to an exclusive new frontier.
Roman Chiporukha has long turned wild travel dreams into reality. Over two decades as co-owner of the luxury lifestyle firm Roman & Erica, he has orchestrated everything from the construction of a client’s superyacht to vacations in the Bahamas at a location so private that guests must sign an NDA.
The experiences earned him “the ear,” he says, “of the ultra-high-net-worth audience.” It also led to a life-changing phone call: In 2018, Axiom Space wanted to find three citizen explorers willing to pay $50 million each to join the first fully private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), slated for April 2022.
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