Canadian circus guru makes journey into space

Canadian billionaire and circus tycoon Guy Laliberte on Wednesday blasted off in a Russian spaceship to become the world’s seventh space tourist.

The 50-year-old former fire-breather and founder of the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil is accompanied by two other astronauts. The three-man crew is due to dock with the International Space Station sometime today, October 2.

Laliberte paid an out-of-this-world $35 million for his epic vacation. He said one of the purposes of embarking on his space journey is to raise awareness on water and environmental issues affecting the planet.

Laliberte, who turned a passion for acrobatics and circus acts into a global entertainment empire, called his trip “the first poetic social mission in space.”

“I needed it to be the right time and for the right purpose,” he was quoted as saying by flight organizer Space Adventures. “This is the time. And the purpose is clear: to raise awareness on water issues to humankind on planet earth.”

In March, U.S. billionaire Charles Simonyi became the first space tourist to make the epic journey twice.