When a vehicle traveling in space reaches a balance between the pull of the Earth's gravity and the velocity of its forward motion, it is said to have achieved orbital flight. In 1961, Russian,Yuri Gagarin launched into orbit. In 1963, John Glen did likewise for the United States. Today, there is almost a thousand satellites in orbital flight around the Earth. The International Space Station (ISS) is one such manned satellite orbiting the Earth at 240 miles above. There are only two spacecraft vehicles currently capable of rendezvousing with the ISS -the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and the U.S. Space Shuttle.

Space Adventures' orbital spaceflight program to visit the ISS.comprises launching aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA spacecraft to space station for approximately ten days. Space Adventures orbital clients return from the International Space Station, 240 roughly miles high, aboard a Soyuz and land within the CIS country of Kazakhstan.