The ex-wife of Andrew Lloyd Webber, soprana singer Sarah Brightman is set to be the 8th space tourist ever. The BBC reports that the singer, of the dubious '70s hit 'I Lost My Heart to a Spaceship Trooper', says the trip is the “product of a dream, my dream. Finally it can be a reality. I am more excited about this than anything I have done in my life to date.”

There have been no space tourists since 2009 and only 8th person to date, although it will be the 9th tourist voyage since the first member of the (not so) 'general public' in 2001. Charles Simonyi has entered space twice, partly funded by his involvement the creation of Microsoft's 'Office' software, seemingly a far more pedestrian venture than conquering space. It has not been disclosed how much Brightman is paying for the incredible vacation, but Guy Laliberte, the man behind Cirque du Soleil, paid $35m (around £23m) back in 2009. She will spend 12 days in orbit.

Brightman has ambitions of being “the first professional musician to sing in space”. Brightman began involvement with VirginGalactic earlier this year, which is Virgin's project involved with space tourism. The 'Cats' and 'Phantom of the Opera' star has already passed all the physical and mental tests that are necessary for such a voyage, and she will begin the compulsory 6 months training for the mission after the end of her 2013 tour. The voyage itself is expected to take place in 2015.