Billionaire software engineer Charles Simonyi, on the verge of blasting off as the world’s fifth paying private space traveller, said today he hopes his journey will help develop civilian space flights.

In one of their last days before leaving the planet aboard a wardrobe-sized space capsule, two Russian cosmonauts and a US billionaire computer programmer enjoyed an array of earthly pleasures today.

US entrepreneur Charles Simonyi has a brand new suit, and it comes with a pretty sweet ride.