Want to travel to space? These companies offer space tourism

Beyond the stars: Space tourism, which was once a dream reserved for astronauts and billionaires, is now on the brink of becoming a reality for everyone. Companies including Boeing, Airbus Group, Virgin Galactic, and SpaceX among others have made several developments in turning this dream into a reality for everyone.

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, on September 8, launched 2 million-year-old fossils of human ancestors to space on a tourist flight. This, however, marked Virgin Galactic's third commercial spaceflight.

“The journey of these fossils into space represents humankind’s appreciation of the contribution of all of humanity’s ancestors and our ancient relatives. Without their invention of technologies such as fire and tools, and their contribution to the evolution of the contemporary human mind, such extraordinary endeavours as spaceflight would not have happened,” said Professor Lee Berger, a National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Carnegie Fellow and Director of the Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. 

Space travel

In the race to make space tourism accessible, several prominent companies have taken centre stage. Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic have invested billions in developing spacecraft capable of carrying civilians into space. These companies have worked on overcoming technical challenges, improving safety measures, and bringing down costs to make space travel affordable. Several reports indicate that tickets for suborbital journeys with Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and Blue Origin's New Shepard will range from $250,000 to $500,000 per seat. However, flights venturing into actual orbit, reaching significantly greater altitudes, will be considerably more costly, which may cost over $50 million.

Here is the list of companies that may take you to space someday:

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic made headlines earlier this year when it successfully completed its first crewed test flight, carrying Branson himself and a team of fellow astronauts. This monumental achievement signalled that space tourism was no longer a distant dream. Virgin Galactic plans to offer suborbital trips to the edge of space, providing passengers with breathtaking views and a few minutes of weightlessness.

Blue Origin

Founded by Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin is another contender in the space tourism race. Their New Shepard spacecraft has undergone rigorous testing and demonstrated its reliability. Blue Origin aims to offer suborbital flights that provide passengers with a few minutes of weightlessness and the opportunity to witness the curvature of Earth from space. Last year in August, NS-22 was the sixth human spaceflight for Blue Origin. The first, in July 2021, sent company founder Jeff Bezos to space along with his brother Mark, aviation pioneer Wally Funk and student Oliver Daemen. New Shepard flew two more crewed flights in 2021 and has now flown three of them in 2022. 

SpaceX

Elon Musk-led SpaceX has been primarily focused on commercial satellite launches and missions to the International Space Station. It further plans to expand its scope to space tourism. The company's Starship, currently in development, is intended to be a fully reusable spacecraft capable of carrying large groups of passengers on orbital journeys around Earth, to the Moon, and even to Mars.

Zero 2 Infinity S L 

Founded in 2009 by aerospace engineer Jose Mariano López-Urdiales, Zero 2 Infinity S L is a private Spanish company developing high-altitude balloons intended to provide access to near space and low Earth orbit using a balloon-borne pod and a balloon-borne launcher.

Boeing 

Boeing is working on the Boeing Starliner capsule, as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Under the pact, NASA will allow Boeing to sell seats for space tourists. Boeing, however, proposed including one seat per flight for a spaceflight participant at a price that would be competitive with what Roscosmos charges tourists. The Boeing CST-100 Straliner is a class of two partially reusable spacecraft designed to transport crew to international space station (ISS) and other low-Earth-orbit destinations.

Space Adventures

Vienna, Virginia-based Space Adventures is a space tourism company, founded in 1998 by Eric C Anderson. Its offerings include zero-gravity atmospheric flights, orbital space flights, and other spaceflight-related experiences including cosmonaut training, spacewalk training, and launch tours. “We don’t build rockets. We don’t build spacecraft. We work with those who create unique opportunities for our clients to launch to space for multi-day missions,” says Space Adventures on its website. 

In December 2021, the space company announced that the Russian Soyuz MS-20 carrying Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa (MZ) and his production assistant, Yozo Hirano, successfully landed in Kazakhstan following their spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS). The duo’s journey lasted a total of 12 days under the command of Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin.

Changing face of space travel

Space tourism is no longer restricted to the ultra-wealthy or highly trained astronauts. As technology advances and competition heats up, ticket prices are expected to drop, making space tourism accessible to a broader range of people.

Future of Space tourism market

The global space tourism market size was valued at $695.1 million in 2022, according to Grand View Research. It is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.2 per cent from 2023 to 2030. Rising advancements in technology, growing inclination of adventure travellers, High Net Worth of Income (HNWI) individuals toward spaceflight, and increased focus on research and development activities by government and private research organisations are some of the factors fuelling the growth of the market. 

Challenges and concerns

Despite the excitement surrounding space tourism, there are still challenges to address. Safety remains a paramount concern, with companies working diligently to ensure the well-being of passengers during their journeys. Additionally, environmental impact and space debris are growing concerns as the number of spaceflights increases.

A new era dawns

In the coming years, we can expect to witness an era of space tourism that offers unparalleled experiences to adventurers from all walks of life. As space travel becomes more routine, it has the potential to inspire a new generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers, further pushing the boundaries of human understanding and our place in the cosmos.

Space tourism is no longer a distant dream; it's a journey that awaits those with the courage to reach for the stars. As these companies make history, the sky—or rather, the universe—is no longer the limit.