Space Adventure Press Release |

March 1, 1999 |

As Rotary Rocket Unveils Prototype “Roton,” Space Tourism Company Sees Day Nearing
For Personal Travel Into Space

Mojave Desert, CA – Public space travel took a big step to becoming reality today as Rotary
Rocket unveiled the initial version of its low-cost piloted “Roton” space vehicle at a gala
ceremony in the Mojave Desert.

Space Adventures, Ltd., the only company currently taking reservations for public space flight
aboard a fleet of different vehicles, saluted the Rotary team for advancing the day when a
tourist might strap into a Roton-type vehicle and launch into space on the ultimate adventure.
Space Adventures currently features the “Roton” as a part of its Sub-Orbital Rocket Gallery
both in its 1999-2000 program catalog and on its website.

“Many of the new spacecraft designs being proposed and built today closely resemble
aircraft,” said Mike McDowell, President of Space Adventures, who attended today’s rollout.
“The Roton may eventually allow adventure-seekers the chance to experience a vertical liftoff, similar to the experience of astronauts and cosmonauts. Today is an exciting day for future space tourists worldwide,” continued McDowell.

The fully-reusable Roton was primarily designed to launch communications satellites into
orbit at far lower cost than the old style, throw-away rockets currently used. After
revolutionizing the telecommunications market, Rotary Rocket foresees that future versions of
the Roton will be designed for passenger travel to space.

“There’s a lot of excitement out there as our first flight quickly approaches, and there are
many people who want to fly themselves,” according to Gary Hudson, President/CEO and
Founder of Rotary Rocket. “Personally, I look forward to the day when people can fly into
orbit on vehicles like ours.”

Also in attendance for the Roton debut was Space Adventures’ Vice President and General
Manager, Eric Anderson. “As companies like Rotary Rocket continue to unveil hardware, the idea of space tourism
progresses from science fiction to science fact,” Anderson said. “It’s very exciting as we
watch the public’s first impressions at the transition from looking at computer-generated
spacecraft to viewing photographs of actual vehicles. The change in attitude towards the
reality of space tourism is almost immediate.”

The 63-foot tall Roton will begin low-altitude flight tests in a few weeks. This initial Roton is
similar in concept to the Space Shuttle Enterprise that NASA built and flew to test the
orbiter’s landing characteristics before proceeding to build space-worthy version Space
Shuttles.

Space Adventures, Ltd. is the world’s only space tourism agency. Through its “Steps To
Space” program, tourists can currently experience weightless during ‘zero-g’ flights, reach the
edge of space in a Russian MiG-25, and tour the planet’s space institutions and centers. Space
Adventures is taking reservations for sub-orbital space flights, with over 70 seats already sold.

For more information, call 1-888-85-SPACE or 703-524-7172 outside the United States. Or
visit our web site at www.spaceadventures.com