A
private company founded by
RSC Energia,
Russia's biggest space
contractor, and a
holding company in the
Netherlands. Their
business model is to buy the
Mir Space Station from the Russian Space Agency and offer trips to companies that need to do some
zero-gravity research. More
controversially, they also plan to make some money by turning the aging
deathtrap into a
bed-and-breakfast for the
obscenely wealthy.
NASA hates MirCorp, because their involvement has prompted the Russian space agency to take some of their meager budget (partially funded by NASA itself) away from the behind-schedule International Space Station to work on supplying Mir again.
In April 2000, MirCorp made history when it made the first privately funded space shot, sending two cosmonauts up to Mir for repairs and maintenance since Russia abandoned the station last year. The cosmonauts are due back to Earth in mid-June. In typical PR fashion, MirCorp has already trumpeted their on-time return.
The company has mentioned plans for an IPO next year.
MirCorp's home page is at http://www.mirstation.com