娱乐英语新闻:British singer finalizes formalities for space trip

MOSCOW, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- British singer Sarah Brightman has finalized all formalities for a trip to the International Space Station (ISS), said head of the Russian Cosmonauts Training Center on Wednesday.

Moscow's office of the U.S. Space Adventures company said it has finalized formalities with the 52-year-old singer for a 10-day space trip, Sergei Krikalyov told Interfax news agency, adding her intention to go to the ISS could be a part of her new album promotion.

Brightman has received an approval from a medical commission for training at Russia's Cosmonaut Training Center in July.

In October, Russian federal space agency Roscosmos said Brightman was fit for space travel and her flight would likely be carried out in October or November 2015.

"Many years ago we considered an option to send to space another singer, he has even passed the medical tests. This is possible," Krikalyov said.

So far, seven paying space tourists have been sent to the ISS, including a female tourist. Each of them paid at least 20 million U.S. dollars for an adventure.

In October 2009, Russia stopped taking space tourists due to lack of room in its three-person Soyuz spacecraft, when NASA canceled its shuttles, leaving Russian rockets the only ones capable of carrying crews into the orbit.