Who Is Leading Space Tourism?

By Michael Ferguson

Space tourism is a rapidly growing industry that is attracting more and more participants every year. The race to become the leader in this field is heating up, with several companies vying for the top spot. Let’s take a look at some of the leading contenders.

Virgin Galactic

One of the most well-known players in space tourism is Virgin Galactic, founded by entrepreneur Richard Branson. This company has been working on developing space tourism for over a decade and has made significant progress towards that goal.

Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft, VSS Unity, has conducted several successful test flights and has even carried passengers to space on a number of occasions. The company plans to begin commercial operations in 2022 and has already sold tickets to over 600 individuals at a price of $250,000 each.

Blue Origin

Another major player in this field is Blue Origin, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft has also conducted successful test flights and has carried out several suborbital missions.

Unlike Virgin Galactic which offers a more traditional rocket launch experience, Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft offers a more unique experience where passengers are seated in individual reclining seats with large windows offering panoramic views of Earth during their flight. However, Blue Origin hasn’t yet started selling tickets and there are no indications as to when it will begin commercial operations.

SpaceX

SpaceX is another company that has expressed interest in space tourism but its primary focus remains on space exploration and satellite launches. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft have transported astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) multiple times.

The company plans to send Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and eight other individuals on a trip around the moon aboard its Starship spacecraft in 2023. However, SpaceX hasn’t yet started selling tickets for any tourist flights beyond Earth’s orbit.

Conclusion

While Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin appear to be the furthest along in terms of developing their spacecraft and commercial operations, all three companies have made significant strides towards making space tourism a reality. As the industry continues to grow and evolve, it will be interesting to see which company emerges as the leader in this exciting field.