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How much is a ticket to space $100,000 if you can wait a decade—but here’s how to pay nothing.

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The interior of the Blue Origin capsule, which can hold six people.

How much does a ticket to space cost? That depends on who you book with, how you want to get there and whether you get lucky or not.

On the day that billionaire Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos goes to space it’s worth knowing that a ticket to reach space can cost as much as $55 million for a “proper” orbital flight and a visit to the International Space Station (ISS)—and as little as nothing at all. 

Can you really get to space for free? Sure you can, by entering a competition to win Virgin Galactic tickets via Omaze.com . As space tourism flights on Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic get scheduled, likely in 2022, look out for more competitions. 

In an article on the MoneyTransfers.com website an expert predicts that sub-orbital space travel—like that of Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic—could cost around $100,000 within a decade.

Space tourism is an industry previously predicted by Bank of America Merrill Lynch as one that could grow to $2.7 trillion in 30 years.

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The distinction between sub-orbital and orbital space tourism is key. While sub-orbital “up and down” missions in supersonic planes and rockets—such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin—orbital missions are much longer and much pricer. 

The private 10-day Axiom Mission 1 including an 8-day stay at the ISS, planned for January 2022, is costing each of the four private astronauts a whopping $55 million for a seat in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

That makes the $28 million paid to Blue Origin during an auction for a seat on the first 11-minute sub-orbital flight—a seat that will now be used by an 18-year old from The Netherlands —appear vastly over the odds. 

Although “space for all” is a phrase often heard from space tourism industry, demand for the first batch of flights is likely to be huge, leading to big asking prices. It’s rumoured that Blue Origin could ask $500,000 , though prices aren’t yet known.

The same goes for Virgin Galactic, which plans to begin private flights to space during 2022. It charged $250,000 for tickets until it paused ticket sales a few years ago. While it has said it wants to charge $40,000, that’s in the long term. 

The most affordable way to pay to get to space would be appear to be via a company called Space Perspective, which plans to launch a pressurized capsule propelled by a high-performance space balloon.

In a six-hour flight costing $125,000 per person, passengers in Spaceship Neptune and Neptune One will lift-off from Space Coast Spaceport in Florida, though not until 2024. 

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

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Virgin Galactic is selling tickets to space again, now for $450,000 per seat

That's nearly twice the previously stated price.

Virgin Galactic has started selling seats on its suborbital spaceliner again — but the price has gone up.

The company, part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, halted ticket sales in December 2018, shortly after its VSS Unity vehicle reached suborbital space for the first time on a piloted test flight. Back then, the price was $250,000 per seat. 

On Thursday (Aug. 5), Virgin Galactic announced that it's reopening ticket sales, effectively immediately, with a starting price of $450,000 per seat. 

In photos: Virgin Galactic's 1st fully crewed spaceflight with Richard Branson

The move comes in the wake of Unity's fourth spaceflight, which occurred July 11 from Spaceport America in New Mexico. That test mission was Unity's first fully crewed trip to the final frontier; the space plane carried Branson and three other people in its cabin, as well as two pilots in the cockpit.

"As we endeavor to bring the wonder of space to a broad global population, we are delighted to open the door to an entirely new industry and consumer experience," Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement Thursday that also announced the company's financial results for the second quarter of 2021. 

Virgin Galactic is offering customers three options: purchase a single seat, buy several together or book an entire flight on the eight-passenger Unity (or other space planes that come into operation, such as the recently built VSS Imagine ). The company also sells seats for microgravity research and professional astronaut training. Those are in a different tier, going for $600,000 apiece, Colglazier said during a call with investors on Thursday afternoon.

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VSS Unity lifts off under the wing of a carrier plane called VMS Eve, which hauls the space plane to an altitude of about 50,000 feet (15,000 meters). At that point, the spaceliner drops free, ignites its onboard rocket motor and blasts itself to suborbital space . 

Passengers experience three to four minutes of weightlessness and get to see Earth against the blackness of space before coming back down to Earth for a runway landing, about an hour after takeoff.

About 600 people have booked a ride to date, Virgin Galactic representatives said. But they expect that number to rise considerably now, given the intense interest in the July 11 flight.

That mission "was an inflection point for our global brand," Colglazier said during Thursday's call. "We created a cultural moment. We saw incredible global engagement, with viewership coming from over 65 countries. Millions of space enthusiasts around the planet shared a glimpse into the journey the Virgin Galactic future astronauts can expect, and they loved it."

Colglazier also shared some timeline updates during the call. Unity's next flight, a revenue-generating mission that will carry members of the Italian Air Force , is now expected to launch in late September, he said.

After that flight is complete, VMS Eve will fly to the Mojave, California, headquarters of The Spaceship Company, Virgin Galactic's manufacturing subsidiary. There, Eve will receive a series of "enhancements," which include the strengthening of various structural components. 

This work is designed to allow Eve to fly 100 times between major inspections as opposed to the current 10 — a huge jump that will boost Virgin Galactic's flight rate significantly down the road, Colglazier said. (The company eventually plans to fly extremely frequently, with fleets of space planes and carrier planes stationed at spaceports around the world.)

Eve is expected back at Spaceport America around the middle of next year. Virgin Galactic will fly one more fully crewed test flight shortly thereafter, then shift to full commercial operations in the third quarter of 2022, if all goes according to plan.

Virgin Galactic has one chief competitor in the suborbital space tourism industry — Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, which flew its first crewed spaceflight on July 20 . (Bezos himself was on that flight.) Blue Origin has not yet announced how much a seat will coast aboard its New Shepard vehicle, a reusable rocket-capsule combo.

Mike Wall is the author of " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook. 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with  Space.com  and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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Every Space Tourism Package Available in 2021 Ranked: From $125K to $60 Million

From virgin galactic's suborbital ride to spacex's multi-day orbital voyage, we've rounded up every space tourism package available..

2021 is a historic year for commercial space travel. A record number of civilian orbital and suborbital missions launched successfully: Elon Musk ’s SpaceX launched four amateur astronauts into Earth’s orbit for the first time; a Russian film crew spent 12 days on the International Space Station shooting the world’s first movie in space; and two multi-billionaires flew to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere as the first passengers of their respective space companies to show the public that their new spacecrafts are safe and fun.

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As with everything in its early stages, space tourism today is unattainably expensive (although demand appears to be strong enough to keep existing companies in this market busy for several years). But eventually, as technology matures and more companies enter the industry, prices will hopefully go down. As a space tourism entrepreneur told Observer this summer, going to space in the future “will be more and more like going to Europe.”

Below, we’ve rounded up every space tourism package that is either available now or in the near future. We have listed them in the order of price and compared them by travel duration, maximum altitude, passenger cabin amenities, and value for money—if you can afford it, that is.

Space Perspective: “Hot Air Balloon” to Stratosphere

Price: $125,000 Flight altitude: 30 kilometers What you’ll get: A relaxing six-hour ride to the stratosphere in a balloon-borne pressurized capsule. Date available: 2024 Value for money:  ★★★★ (4/5 stars)

Founded by the team that launched Alan Eustace in 2014 for his Guinness World Record space jump , Florida-based Space Perspective in June began selling tickets of its yet-to-be-licensed “Spaceship Neptune” flights.

A pressurized capsule designed to carry up to eight passengers and one pilot will be slowly lifted by a hydrogen-filled balloon the size of a football field when fully inflated to 19 miles (30 kilometers) in the sky, about three times the altitude of commercial planes. The passenger cabin features a bar, a bathroom and huge windows specially designed for sightseeing.

The balloon will hover at its peak altitude for about two hours before slowly descending to a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, where passengers and will be picked up by a recovery ship.

Because the space balloon moves at only 12 miles per hour during ascent and descent, no special training is required before the ride. Space Perspective completed a test flight in June. The company expects to begin flying paying customers before the end of 2024.

Virgin Galactic: Suborbital Joy Ride

Ticket Price: $450,000 Flight altitude:  50 km What you’ll get: A 90-minute ride to 50 kilometers above sea level in a SpaceShipTwo spaceplane. A few minutes of zero-gravity experience during descent. Date available:  Now Value for money: ★★ (2/5 stars)

If you like a more thrilling space experience provided by a company with a little bit of a track record, Virgin Galactic (SPCE) ’s 90-minute suborbital flight might be your choice.

In July, the company’s founder, Richard Branson , became its first passenger and flew to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in a VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo spaceplane along with two pilots and three Virgin Galactic employees.

A pioneer in the nascent space tourism industry, Virgin Galactic began selling seats in 2013 at $250,000 apiece. By the time it halted sales in 2014 (after a test flight failure), the company had collected deposits from more than 600 aspiring customers. Ticket sales resumed in August this year at a higher price of $450,000. Virgin Galactic said it has since received 100 reservations.

Each VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo can carry up to four passengers. Virgin Galactic expects to fly paying passengers three times a month in 2023. At its current reservation volume, it will take the company a number of years to clear its wait list. So, patience is your friend here.

Blue Origin: Quick Rocket Trip to the Kármán line

Ticket Price: Reportedly $28 million Flight altitude: 100 km What you’ll get: A 12-minute ride to the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. Date available:  Now Value for money: ★ (1/5 stars)

Blue Origin offers a similar suborbital flight package to Virgin Galactic’s. The main difference is that Virgin flies passengers in a plane while Blue Origin launches amateur astronauts in a real rocket.

On July 20, a few days after Branson’s spaceflight, Jeff Bezos became the first customer of his own space company as well, blasting off to 107 kilometers in the sky in a New Shepard booster-capsule combo. The same spacecraft launched another crew of four passengers, including Star Trek actor William Shatner , on October 13.

Blue Origin began taking reservations in May. The exact ticket price is still a mystery. Bezos has said Blue Origin will price New Shepard flights similarly to its competitors, which led us to speculate that it would likely fall in the range of what Virgin Galactic charges. But, according to Tom Hanks , the ride would cost $28 million, which he said was the reason he turned down Bezos’ invitation to fly on the October mission. Hanks may have been joking, but $28 million was how much an auction winner paid to fly alongside Bezos in July. Of that total, $19 million was donated to various space organizations, Blue Origin said. If the remaining amount went to the company itself, it was still a hefty $9 million.

Blue Origin said it has raked in $100 million from private clients, but refused to disclose how many tickets have been sold.

SpaceX: Multi-Day Orbital Voyage

Ticket Price: Estimated $55 million Flight altitude: 574 km Date available:  Now What you’ll get: Three-day stay inside SpaceX’s Dragon capsule circling around Earth with three crew mates. Value for money: ★★★ (3/5 stars)

SpaceX has more experience launching humans into space than any other company in this roundup. Its civilian package, rightfully the most expensive of the bunch, provides the closest experience to true space exploration.

In September, four amateur astronauts blasted off into space in a modified SpaceX Dragon capsule, equipped with a 360-degree glass dome, and spent three days flying in Earth’s orbit. The crewed spacecraft shot up to an altitude of 357 miles, about 100 miles higher than the average orbital altitude of the International Space Station.

The trip was paid for by tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, who was also one of the passengers. SpaceX didn’t disclose the exact amount he paid. It was estimated in the $200 million ballpark, given that NASA pays about $55 million for each seat on SpaceX’s regular crewed missions to the ISS.

Axiom Space/SpaceX: Vacation on International Space Station 

Ticket Price: $55 million Flight altitude: 408 km Date available: 2022 What you’ll get: A 10-day trip to the International Space Station, including a weeklong stay in the orbital lab. Value for money: ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)

Next year, another four-person, all-civilian mission is expected to launch with a SpaceX Dragon capsule, this time to actually dock at the International Space Station and let the crew live in the orbital lab for a week. (The Inspiration4 mission stayed in orbit only.)

The trip is marketed by Houston-based Axiom Space , a company led by former NASA official Michael Suffredini. Dubbed Ax-1, the mission will be piloted by former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría. Three passengers—Larry Connor, Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe—have reportedly paid $55 million each for the remaining seats.

Axiom has three more flights planned in 2022 and 2023. Under NASA’s low Earth orbit commercialization policy, two ISS civilian missions no longer than 30 days are allowed per year. Axiom actually aims to eventually build a stand-alone space station to replace the aging ISS. The first major module is expected to launch in 2024.

Roscosmos: Customized Trip to International Space Station

Ticket Price: $50 million to $60 million Flight altitude: 408 km Date available: Now What you’ll get: A 12-day trip to the International Space Station. Value for money: ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)

If you don’t feel like buying your first space trip from an inexperienced private company, Russia’s national space agency Roscosmos has a ISS getaway package very similar to what Axiom and SpaceX have to offer.

In October, Roscosmos sent an actress and a director to the ISS for a 12-day trip to shoot scenes for what will be the first movie filmed in space. On December 8, another civilian, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, known for having booked a SpaceX Starship flight around the moon in 2023, will travel to the ISS in a Russian Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft, set to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Maezawa will fly with his assistant, Yozo Hirano, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin. According to Space Adventures , a Virginia-based company currently working with Roscosmos on future commercial flights, a seat on an ISS-bound Soyuz spacecraft will cost in the range of $50 million to $60 million.

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How much does a ticket to space on New Shepard cost? Blue Origin isn’t saying.

By Joey Roulette

• Oct. 13, 2021

Blue Origin has declined to publicly state a price for a ticket to fly on New Shepard. The company is nearing $100 million in sales so far, Mr. Bezos has said. But it’s unclear how many ticket holders that includes.

“We don’t know quite yet” when Blue Origin will publicly announce a price, Mr. Bezos told reporters in July after his flight to space. “Right now we’re doing really well with private sales.”

Oliver Daemen, the Dutch teenager aboard Blue Origin’s first crewed flight in July, was occupying a seat that the company auctioned off for $28 million, a steep number that even shocked some company executives. Of that total, $19 million was donated equally to 19 space organizations.

Mr. Daemen, 18, wasn’t the winning bidder. His father, a private equity executive, was the runner-up in the auction and was next in line after the actual winner. That individual, who has not been named, plunked down $28 million before postponing their trip over a scheduling conflict, Blue Origin said at the time.

Tickets to the edge of space on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo were hiked to $450,000 in August, from $250,000, when the company reopened ticket sales after a yearslong hiatus.

Flights to orbit — a much higher altitude than Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic’s trips go — are far more expensive. Three passengers to the International Space Station next year are paying $55 million each for their seats on a SpaceX rocket, bought through the company Axiom Space.

Many wealthy customers and space company executives see the steep ticket prices as early investments into the nascent space tourism industry, hoping the money they put down can help lower the cost of launching rockets.

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When Can I Buy a Ticket to Space? A Guide for Non-Billionaires.

We’re at the dawn of a new era for space exploration, with thrill-seeking civilians boldly going where no tourist has gone before. Over 60 years after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, a handful of companies are planning to take non-astronauts with sufficiently massive bank accounts on a galactic tour: Tesla Founder Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin , and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.

Here’s everything you need to know about the rise of space tourism, from which billionaires are leaving Earth imminently to when the rest of us might be able to join them.

What’s the history of civilian space travel?

The initial effort to send a civilian into space ended in disaster: In 1986, Christa McAuliffe was set to be the first civilian and teacher in space, but she and six crewmates were tragically killed during the explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger.

After that, NASA largely forbade the practice. But Russia’s then-struggling space program stepped up to the plate. On April 28, 2001, Dennis Tito paid a whopping $20 million for a seat on a Russian Soyuz rocket, becoming the first civilian to visit the International Space Station – humanity’s home away from home. According to Space.com , just seven space tourists have followed in his footsteps in the last 20 years, via Russia’s Space Agency. But the year ahead should be a busy one for the nascent industry, with more and more civilians reaching for the stars.

Who’s heading to space next?

The competition between the major players in the billionaire space race heated up when Bezos announced that he would jet off to the brink of space and back on July 20, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. On July 1 – just hours after Bezos announced that in addition to his brother, he’d be joined on the flight by aviation pioneer Wally Funk – Richard Branson revealed that he would beat the Amazon founder into space by nine days. Branson will blast off on Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity rocketplane on July 11.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is planning what it’s billing as “the world’s first all-civilian space flight” in late 2021. The multiday flight into low Earth orbit, dubbed “Inspiration4” and funded by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, aims to raise awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and begin “a new era for human spaceflight and exploration.” The crew includes Isaacman, childhood cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux, plus two others. It’s currently scheduled to launch “no earlier than September 15, 2021,” per the mission’s website.

SpaceX aims to keep the momentum going by partnering with Houston-based Axiom Space to send more everyday people into space using its Crew Dragon spacecraft, this time going to the International Space Station. Axiom’s first private ISS mission is set to launch “no earlier than January 2022.” Its second mission is the focus of the Discovery Channel reality-TV show Who Wants to Be an Astronaut? , in which contestants take on extreme challenges for a chance at a ticket to the ISS. Axiom Space plans to eventually host civilian space station jaunts every six months.

What does this cost?

Unsurprisingly, going to space comes with a hefty price tag. Axiom passengers will pay the low, low price of $55 million for the flight and a stay on the ISS. Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic’s suborbital trips — where passengers can experience weightlessness for several minutes before falling back to Earth — are far more reasonable in cost, at $250,000 . Six hundred people have already made reservations for 90-minute flights on Branson’s SpaceShipTwo, Reuters reports. And while Bezos’s Blue Origin hasn’t announced official prices, an auction for a seat to join him and his brother on his brief sojourn to space in July went for a cool $28 million .

How safe is it?

Hollywood isn’t exaggerating: Going to space is inherently dangerous. Congress agreed in 2004 to largely let the space-tourism industry self-regulate, so there are few laws and restrictions on taking civilians into space.

“One way that the government could have gone was to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to certify the spacecraft, make sure that they’re safe and give them the stamp of approval,’” Mark Sundahl, an expert at space law at Cleveland State University, told Discover magazine . “But they didn’t go that way. Instead, they said ‘We’re going to prove we’re protecting space tourists by just requiring the companies to tell them that they may die, and then it’s up to them to make a decision if they want to take that risk or not.’ That’s the approach that the government took, and it is somewhat controversial.”

What other types of space tourism are in the works?

Strapping in on a rocket and blasting off into space isn’t the only type of travel available for those eager to leave this planet. Human space flight company Space Perspective is planning to fly passengers to the edge of space in a high-tech version of a hot-air balloon, “the size of a football stadium,” lifted by hydrogen. Flights are planned for early 2024, with tickets priced firmly at $125,000 per person.

For another out-of-this-world vacation, check out the company Orbital Assembly Corporation , which plans to open a luxury space hotel in 2027. The hotel, named Voyager Station, looks almost like a Ferris wheel floating in orbit and features a restaurant, gym, and Earth-viewing lounges and bars. A three-and-a-half-day stay is expected to cost up to $5 million, the Washington Post reports.

Are other celebrities planning to explore space?

A slew of stars have already bought their tickets to space with Virgin Galactic, among them Justin Bieber, Ashton Kusher, and Leonardo DiCaprio, according to the New York Daily News . Last year, Actor Tom Cruise and NASA announced their own collaboration to make a movie on the International Space Station.

When can the average person do this?

Once again, the biggest barrier to space is the price tag. But air travel was also once prohibitively expensive, with a one-way ticket across the country costing more than half the price of a new car ; one can expect similar price reductions in space travel. For now, partaking in a sweepstakes or reality show might be the best bet for those with tiny bank accounts and big dreams of taking to the stars.

This post was updated after Branson announced he would head to space on July 11.

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How much is a seat on Virgin Galactic? $450,000. Here's what each trip includes.

Virgin Galactic will soon sell tickets for space trips to the public. The catch? They cost $450,000.

On Tuesday, the aerospace company announced plans to sell tickets to the general public to snag a seat for a future spaceflight.

Reservations open up Feb. 16 and will cost $450,000. Potential travelers must pay a $150,000 deposit to hold the spot, then pay the rest before their flight. Tickets will be available to 1,000 customers for trips later this year.

The flights will take off from Spaceport America in New Mexico. Virgin Galactic said  trips will last about 90 minutes.

"The spaceship gracefully flips while astronauts enjoy several minutes of out-of-seat weightlessness and breath-taking views of Earth from the spaceship’s 17 windows," reads a statement from the company.

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Virgin Galactic is among several companies including SpaceX and Blue Origin – run by tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos respectively – pressing forward with plans to eventually support commercial space travel.

On July 11, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson was among six crewmembers who traveled aboard the company's space plane, the VSS Unity. Two months later, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the flight .

Blue Origin launched a manned flight on July 20 with Bezos among the members of the crew. In September, SpaceX launched its first flight with an all-civilian crew.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter:  @brettmolina23 .

How much is a ticket on Blue Origin ? Jeff Bezos reveals new details

Let the bidding begin...

If you’ve got a blank check and a dream, Jeff Bezos could send you to space.

Blue Origin , the Amazon founder’s aerospace company, announced Wednesday that it will auction off a single seat aboard its New Shepard rocket for a July 20 launch to space. This will be New Shepard’s first crewed launch, following a successful uncrewed mission that took place in mid-April.

The rocket can carry six passengers and the flight will last a mere 10 minutes, according to Blue Origin . Onboard will be five astronauts and one private passenger, who together will travel past the Kármán line, which many consider to be the boundary between space and the Earth’s atmosphere, about 62 miles above the planet’s surface.

The crew will experience weightlessness and views of a distant Earth. After a few minutes, the capsule will descend to Earth, and it will touch down at Blue Origin’s West Texas landing site. Both the rocket and the capsule are reusable.

How to buy a Blue Origin ticket

You can bid for a ticket on Blue Origin’s bidding platform . All bids will remain private until May 19, when Blue Origin plans to reveal both the bidders and their promised sums as part of a second round of public bidding. The process will finish in a live auction on June 12.

The money raised by the auction will go toward Blue Origin’s STEM education foundation, Club for the Future .

The news about the ticket is a departure from predictions about the ticket price for a seat on New Shepard that many pundits expected Blue Origin reveal Wednesday. Instead of setting a price itself, an auction means Blue Origin will ostensibly let the market decide the value of a seat on a space flight. But the historic flight’s eventual cost will likely be inflated as a result. Even when the sum the ticket sells for is finally announced, demand for any subsequent tickets are likely to outstrip the supply of rocket launches for years. Each New Shepard capsule can only ever hold six passengers, which means Blue Origin can only launch a few dozen people to space each year unless something radically changes about the company’s operation.

What is the difference between SpaceX and Blue Origin?

SpaceX is still the only private rocket company that has actually sent humans to space

Commercial space travel is (obviously) a new market, so there isn’t a lot to compare in terms of what a reasonable price for a trip to space equates to. Blue Origin’s bidding process further muddies those waters.

SpaceX is the only private rocket company that has actually sent humans to space . Later this year, it plans to launch the first commercial trip to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX rocket. Three men have paid $55 million each to take part in the 10-day journey as part of a mission conducted in connection with Axiom Space. The men will stay on the ISS for eight days and conduct experiments, according to the mission website. The $55 million price is all-inclusive, covering training, launch, and the daily cost of living on the ISS.

SpaceX has also chartered a commercial launch for late 2021 called Inspiration4 . The mission is bankrolled by Jared Isaacman , who is bringing three other passengers with him on the journey. The cost of the three-day mission has not been disclosed.

Virgin Galactic, another private space company owned by Richard Branson, offers a little more to go on. The company has sold more than 600 people tickets to travel into space, and these customers have paid at least $250,000 per ticket for the privilege. But initial launches of the spacecraft supposed to take them there have failed, and even killed a Virgin Galactic pilot . Technical issues have plagued recent test attempts to launch, too. So you might pay more to fly with Blue Origin, but there’s perhaps a better chance you’ll get to see space at all.

Is it safe to go to space on a Blue Origin rocket? (Or any rocket?)

Rockets blow up sometimes.

The opportunity to go to space is undeniably cool, and if you’re thinking about burning millions of dollars on a (very) brief trip to space, then some blogger likely isn’t going to change your mind.

But this is still an inherently risky purchase because rockets blow up sometimes. Just ask Elon Musk , whose Starship rocket prototypes explode all the time — this rocket is supposed to take humans to Mars one day. And while New Shephard has successfully launched and landed 15 test missions, it has never launched and landed with humans inside.

The commercial space race is just beginning, and while it might be exciting for the opportunity to be one of the first in space, the rest of us might want to wait until the kinks are ironed out — and the price drops.

• Space Science

New Shepard is a fully reusable rocket launching a new generation of astronauts.

Launch to space on a rocket

Named for Alan Shepard, the first U.S. astronaut, New Shepard launches from the high West Texas desert. On your 11-minute flight, you'll travel over 3X the speed of sound to pass the Kármán Line at 100 km (62 mi), float weightless for several minutes, and witness life-changing views of Earth before descending gently under parachutes.

A fully reusable booster

New Shepard is 100% reusable and fully autonomous. The booster and capsule are designed to launch more than 25 times. The high-performing engine runs clean with water vapor as the only exhaust, and no carbon emissions.

The Capsule

See Earth from your own epic window seat

With room for six astronauts, the spacious and pressurized cabin is climate-controlled for your comfort. Every passenger gets their own window seat for unprecedented views of Earth. The windows comprise over one third of the capsule's surface area.

Flight Training

Fully train for flight in just two days

While onsite you'll learn everything you need for a safe and life-changing space flight. You and your crew will meet the rocket up close, experience missions in the capsule simulator, and learn about safety and zero-g protocols for your weightless journey. 

Your journey begins at Launch Site One

Nestled in the Guadalupe Mountains, two hours east of El Paso, Launch Site One sits on the historic Figure 2 Ranch near Van Horn, Texas. You and your crew will stay onsite at the Astronaut Village. Spectacular sunrises, sunsets, and stargazing abound. This is where your dreams of reaching space will become a reality.

Commitment to Safety

22 successful flights, 22 safe landings

Blue Origin has been flight testing the New Shepard rocket and its triple-redundant safety systems since 2012. The program has had 22 successful consecutive missions including three successful capsule escape tests, demonstrating the crew escape system can activate safely in any phase of flight.

What Astronauts Say

Hear what it's like from our astronauts

New Shepard has launched both the oldest and youngest people ever to go to space, William Shatner and Oliver Daemen. Hear from Oliver as he recalls his life changing experience aboard New Shepard. 

It's your time. Join the new generation of astronauts.

© 2007 - 2023 Blue Origin, All Rights Reserved.

Space Tourism: How Much Does it Cost & Who's Offering It?

Last Updated: December 17, 2022

Many of us dream of going to space and over 600 people have traveled to space as astronauts in government-funded agencies such as NASA, the European Space Agency, and Roscosmos. But how much does spaceflight cost in today and how is that expected to change in the coming years? 

With new advancements in spaceflight technology, the costs of space travel are decreasing, making the dream of spaceflight a little closer for us all.

Evolution of Spaceflight Costs and Technologies

During the space race, the cost of sending something into space averaged between $6,000 to over $25,000 per kg of weight not adjusted for inflation and NASA spent $28 billion to land astronauts on the moon, about $288 billion in today’s dollars.

In recent decades, it has averaged around $10,000 per kg though certain missions have been higher due to other factors including the destination, the size of the rocket, the amount of fuel needed, and the cost of fuel. 

After the retirement of the space shuttle program, NASA paid Russia to transport astronauts to the ISS at about $80 million per seat on the Soyuz rocket. NASA’s biggest and newest rocket, the SLS (Space Launch System) which is currently being utilized for the new moon missions including Artemis and Orion, currently costs about $2-4 billion per launch.

But recent years and the addition of private space companies have drastically changed the game. NASA allowed private space companies to develop equipment for missions, including a 2006 partnership with SpaceX under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to provide resupply for crew and cargo demonstration contracts to the International Space Station (ISS). 

This partnership has continued to flourish over the years with SpaceX successfully launching two NASA astronauts in May 2020 on a Crew Dragon Spacecraft, making SpaceX the first private company to send astronauts to the ISS and the first crewed orbital launch from American soil in 9 years.

With the revolutionary technology of reusable boosters from SpaceX, the cost has plummeted, achieving less than $1,600 per kg with the Falcon Heavy (still totaling more than $100 million per launch) and even a projected cost of under a thousand for their next generation model Star Ship.

 These recent innovations are even making SLS the more expensive, less efficient option if SpaceX’s projections continue to progress as expected within margins of error. We shall see how NASA plans to adapt goals in light of this.

The Falcon Heavy is a cost-effective option for launching payloads into space.

The rise of private space companies

With private space companies, the opportunity for civilians to book a trip to space similar to booking a flight came closer to reality. Dennis Tito was the first private citizen to pay for a trip to space with a trip to the ISS from April 28th to May 6th, 2001 for $20 million dollars. Tito purchased his experience through Space Adventures Inc. which was founded in 1998 and offers a variety of different space experiences. They even acquired Zero Gravity Corporation, NASA’s provider of Reduced Gravity Training (not in space) for its astronauts, in 2008. They offer similar experiences for private individuals starting at about $8,200 as of this publishing (December 2022).

Space Adventures sent seven other space tourists to the ISS through 2009, but due to a number of factors, Space Adventures had to put their ISS offerings on hold until 2021 when they were able to purchase two Soyuz seats due to NASA moving their contract to SpaceX. Space Adventures sent two people to the ISS via the Roscosmos Soyuz rocket in December 2021 and is working on expanding its offerings.

In addition to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, there are a number of other private space companies getting into the commercial spaceflight/ space tourism market, most notably Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origins.

Flight Providers & Rates

What are the current rates for commercial spaceflight tickets? What commercial spaceflight trips have already happened? All prices are per person/ per seat.

SpaceX has had the most experience in sending humans to space thanks to its partnership with NASA and Musk has made it clear that he wants to make space travel an option for the public. To date, SpaceX has offered two commercial spaceflight options and has one big one planned for the future:

• SpaceX completed a Multi-Day Orbital Voyage, the first of their new plan to offer private astronaut experiences through their NASA partnership.  
• Estimated $55 million for a 3-day stay inside a modified SpaceX Dragon capsule orbiting the Earth at 357 miles (574 km) with three crewmates, sponsored by billionaire Jared Isaacman to raise money for St Jude’s Children’s Hospital
• Partnership between SpaceX and Houston-based Axiom Space Inc.
• $55 million for a 10-day trip to ISS at 408 km with a weeklong (8-day) stay in the orbital lab. 
• Expected to continue in 2023
• Axiom plans to build a stand-alone space station to replace the ISS with the first module expected to launch in 2024.
• Steve Aoki: American DJ and record producer
• Everyday Astronaut Tim Dodd: American science communicator, content creator, photographer, and musician
• Yemi A.D.: Czech choreographer, art director and performer
• Rhiannon Adam: Irish photographer
• Karim Iliya: British photographer and filmmaker
• Brendan Hall: American filmmaker and photographer
• Dev Joshi: Indian television actor
• Choi Seung-hyun (stage name: T.O.P.): South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor
• Cost is unknown, likely a minimum of $500 million

2. Blue Origin

Blue Origin: currently offers a 100km 12-minute ride to the Karman Line, the recognized boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space; pricing is still unclear and dependent on a variety of factors 

• On July 2021, Jeff and Mark Bezos went into space on the New Shepard rocket with Oliver Daemen (who won the trip through an auction bid of around 28 million) and honored guest Wally Funk (a member of Mercury 13, the private program in which women trained to be astronauts but ultimately never went to space)
• Blue Origin has completed 6 commercial space flights as of this publishing. Some “honorable guests” have been invited free of charge, such as Funk and actor William Shatner (Captain Kirk from the original Star Trek). Some have been sponsored or have received special deals due to their nonprofit status.
• $28 million winning auction bid for the first flight ( $19 million was donated)
• $1 million for a board member of a nonprofit
• About $1.25 for a Dude Perfect comedy group crew member, hosted by MoonDAO in August 2022

3. Virgin Galactic Subortbital Joy Ride

Virgin Galactic Subortbital Joy Ride: $450,000 for a 90-minute ride to suborbital space 50km above sea level 

• In July 2021, founder Richard Branson flew to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere with two pilots and three other Virgin Galactic employees as the first test of commercial spaceflight for the company
• Each VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo carries up to four passengers
• Expected flights are currently anticipated to begin in 2023 
• Includes training accommodations and amenities; launches from New Mexico

4. Roscosmos/ Space Adventures Customized ISS Trip

Roscosmos/ Space Adventures Customized ISS Trip: $50-60million for a 12-day trip to the ISS at 408 km

• In October 2021 an actress and director shot scenes for the first movie filmed in space
• December 2021 Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano for two days (same billionaire planning to go to the moon with SpaceX)
• With the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, this option is effectively nonexistent currently

5. Space Perspective

Space Perspective: a six-hour balloon ride to space/ the stratosphere on their “Spaceship Neptune” at $125,000

• Rides are currently scheduled to begin by the end of 2024. 
• A pressurized capsule will be slowly lifted by a football-field-sized hydrogen-filled balloon 19 miles (30 km) into the stratosphere, about 3 times the altitude of commercial planes. 
• The passenger cabin features a bar, bathroom, and windows for sightseeing and is expected to carry 8 passengers and 1 pilot per trip.

6. Aurora Space Station (no longer in development)

Aurora Space Station was supposed to be the world’s first luxury space hotel, offering a 12-day stay for $9.5 million allowing them to free float, observe space and earth, practice hydroponics and play in a hologram deck, but they shut down operations and refunded all deposits in March 2021. They received a lot of media attention and therefore are noted here due to that notoriety.

Conclusion: the current cost of flying to space

Currently, it is only available to those who can spend an average of $250,000 to $500,000 for suborbital trips (about a fifteen-minute ride to the edge of space and back) or flights to actual orbit at more than $50 million per seat (though typically a longer trip than 15 minutes).

It could be free/ discounted if you can find a sponsor, often for nonprofit/ charity purposes, or if you are someone of notoriety that can help spread the company’s mission. 

Waitlists are available for most offerings, with a deposit, with many stretching years into the future, which might end up helping you have a spot at a more reasonable price in the future if you can save up.

Many companies are looking to provide extended stay options on private space stations in the future, similar to how you might book a flight somewhere and stay in a hotel for a few days. Again, for the immediate future, this is estimated to cost tens of millions of dollars. The biggest portion of the cost would be launching them, though it is still estimated that a couple million dollars will be needed to cover the expenses of your stay while you are on the space station, whether that is included in the ticket price or added on top of that.

Many companies are hopeful they can eventually price a trip to space down to $100,000 but that will likely take some time, even with the cost-saving measures of reusable boosters. Many forms of recent technology have evolved exponentially in recent years and with dropping price rates as well. Just as plane travel was originally prohibitively expensive, but has now become fairly reasonable for the average consumer, the hope is that the same will eventually happen with space tourism, but we will have to see how long that takes. 

While the possibility of going to space is still out of reach for many of us, hopefully, the advancements in recent years and those yet to come will help to continually lower the costs of going to space, just as has occurred in many other fields. This author, for one, truly hopes that the interest of the elite who are currently able to participate in these offerings will spur research and development, not just of space tourism but space exploration in general, to help fuel a quicker journey to space access for all

Written by Sarah Hoffschwelle

Sarah Hoffschwelle is a freelance writer who covers a combination of topics including astronomy, general science and STEM, self-development, art, and societal commentary. In the past, Sarah worked in educational nonprofits providing free-choice learning experiences for audiences ages 2-99. As a lifelong space nerd, she loves sharing the universe with others through her words. She currently writes on Medium at  https://medium.com/@sarah-marie  and authors self-help and children’s books.

Wow! There's more to read 🚀

This page is part of our collection of articles about astronauts . If you enjoyed the read, then you’ll love the following articles.

How much do astronauts get paid?

The requirements to become an astronaut are extremely rigorous. Does their salary match the difficulty of their profession?

How many flags are on the Moon? The up-to-date list

What are the different types of astronauts suit?

How do astronauts train for zero-gravity environments?

• International

Nationwide campus protests

What's moving markets today

Jeff Bezos goes to space

By Jackie Wattles , Aditi Sangal , Melissa Macaya, Melissa Mahtani , Meg Wagner and Adrienne Vogt, CNN

Blue Origin wants to know if you'd like to buy a ticket to space — so how much will they cost?

From CNN's Jackie Wattles

After Jeff Bezos and crew completed their spaceflight, Blue Origin announced it is open for ticket sales. Those interested in flying on a future Blue Origin flight were asked to send the company an email — but they did not divulge how much a ticket will cost.

Unlike its chief competitor, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin has not sold tickets to the general public yet, nor has it said how much it will sell seats for.

So far, the only price point made public was the $28 million that the as-yet-unnamed auction winner put up . But they mysteriously canceled on the richest man in the world on his rocket, saying only that they had a scheduling conflict, according to Blue Origin.

That person will fly on a later flight, possibly sometime this year as Blue Origin says it will do up to two additional crewed missions in 2021 that it's already in the process of booking.

We also know that Oliver Daemen's — the 18-year-old who is flying in the auction winner's place — dad was an auction participant and was given the option to purchase a ticket after the winner bowed out of today's flight. But Blue Origin has stayed strictly mum about how much money was exchanged.

"We are selling tickets. Obviously, the first ticket was done via auction but we are chatting with our customers that participated in that auction. But if anybody's interested, send us an email — [email protected] — and we'll have a conversation, because we want to get people up to space and get them up there soon," Blue Origin's head of sales, Ariane Cornell, told CNN Business' Rachel Crane.

The bottom line: We still have no idea how much most people have paid — nor are willing to pay — for the chance to spend 11 minutes aboard Blue Origin's New Shepherd rocket as it blasts into space.

But the company says the auction did give a strong indication that there are plenty of people anxious to go: 7,600 people from 159 countries registered to bid.

Blue Origin’s ultimate goal: Colonizing space

There's been plenty of blowback about billionaires in space. Bezos, the world's richest man, has funded the company almost solely out of his own pocket. And the way things in the commercial space industry are shaking out has critics concerned that the ultra-wealthy view outer space as their own personal escape hatch.

Still, Blue Origin and other billionaire-backed space companies put out a lot of talk about their technologies paving the way toward a "democratization" of space in which everyday people — not just government-trained astronauts — get to experience the thrill of spaceflight. These early suborbital space tourism flights are prohibitively expensive to the vast majority of people, and that's not expected to change anytime soon .

Blue Origin, however, describes its long-term vision as one of spacefaring colonization and benevolence:

It's still early days, of course. The New Shepard rocket and capsule system is suborbital, meaning it doesn't drum up nearly enough energy to remain in space for more than a couple of minutes. But the company is working on a much larger rocket for that purpose — called New Glenn — and a lunar lander that it hopes will be used to support NASA missions.

Bezos has also talked in the past about O'Neill colonies , a concept for spinning space stations that can mimic Earthlike gravity for passengers, as a possible habitat for future space dwellers.

Who will own the space stations? And will passengers be employees or tourists? Will space travel, if necessary to save humanity, only be available to those who can afford to pay? And is Bezos' time and money better spent trying to solve Earthly problems rather than seeking to escape them?

We don't know. There are plenty of unanswered questions and raging debates.

CNN's Rachel Crane asked Bezos about the pushback on Monday.

"They are largely right," Bezos said of critics who say billionaires should focus their energy — and money — on issues closer to home. "We have to do both. We have lots of problems here and now on Earth and we need to work on those, and we always need to look to the future. We've always done that as a species, as a civilization."

The crew celebrated its successful spaceflight with champagne

The crew popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate their successful trip to space with the New Shepard, Blue Origin's rocket.

Jeff Bezos could be heard saying inside the capsule that it was the "best day ever" during his astronaut status check response.

WATCH THE MOMENT:

Jeff Bezos: "Best day ever"

After landing safely back to Earth, Jeff Bezos could be heard saying inside the capsule that it was the "best day ever" in his astronaut status check response.

He said to 82-year-old pilot Wally Funk that the trip was "incredible," and she responded "it was!"

Jeff Bezos' brother, Mark Bezos, said "I'm unbelievably good" after landing.

The crew is back on Earth and out of the capsule

After completing procedural status checks, the crew aboard the New Shepard stepped out of the just-landed capsule.

On board today's flight were Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, pilot Wally Funk and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen.

Bezos came out of the capsule wearing his cowboy hat.

All crew members were greeted by their family members, who were standing next to the capsule, waiting for the gate to be opened.

Blue Origin congratulates first astronaut crew

From CNN's Alyssa Kraus

Jeff Bezos and crew have officially landed after a successful flight to space, making these four members the first astronauts aboard a Blue Origin spacecraft.

"This first astronaut crew wrote themselves into the history books of space, opening the door through which many after will pass," Blue Origin tweeted.

And we have touchdown

The crew capsule just made its landing, kicking up a large cloud of desert dust. 

Before hitting the ground, the capsule uses what’s called a “retrothrust system,” which creates an air cushion under the gum-drop-shaped vehicle to further cushion to blow of landing. What’s more, each of the passengers’ seats also sit on top of scissor-like shock absorption mechanisms.  

On the livestream of the launch, an expert described it as a "soft touchdown," and "like sitting in a chair."

This is what the ride to space felt like for passengers, according to a former astronaut

From CNN's Elise Hammond

Retired Col. Chris Hadfield, a former astronaut, said passengers on the Blue Origin flight felt like a "big gorilla has been jumping on you and just threw you off a cliff" as the capsule rocketed into space to weightlessness.

He said the rocket will have to punch its way through the atmosphere so there will be a "whole bunch of vibration."

Then "there will be this instantaneous wham – and like magic, some big gorilla has been jumping on you and just threw you off a cliff, and suddenly you're weightless. They're all just about to experience that," he said.

He said these three minutes of weightlessness will go by very quickly.

"I think the real important thing is to just live it. Absolutely absorb, become hyper aware. Focus on what's going on around you," he said. "The difference of weightlessness and the amazing view out the window. You have to be a sponge, a human sponge, absorbing the magical experience."

Touchdown for the booster rocket

The New Shepard rocket booster has made touchdown! 

The rocket booster created a sonic boom before returning to the ground in its upright position, using little fins to keep itself upright and oriented. Some breaks near the top of the rocket are also helping it slow down. 

About 3,000 feet above the ground the engine will relight, slowing it down to manageable speeds just before it hits terra firma.

Jeff Bezos and his fellow fliers, meanwhile, are still making their way back toward the ground. 

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How much does space travel cost?

Spaceflight has traditionally been a government-led activity — and it's never been cheap. But the stratospheric cost of putting people and payloads into space is finally starting to fall, thanks in part to the rise of SpaceX and other private spaceflight companies.

Here’s a look at what it costs to go to space, whether it’s another satellite that needs to be placed in orbit or an adventurous billionaire looking for a joyride around the moon .

Sending up a satellite

Using its 230-foot-tall Falcon 9, SpaceX charges $62 million to send into orbit commercial satellites weighing up to 50,000 pounds. The closest American competitor is the United Launch Alliance Atlas V, which starts at $73 million for a 41,000-pound payload .

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Those are just starting prices; government agencies typically pay more for a long list of extra services. The Air Force, for example, is paying SpaceX $96.5 million to launch a GPS satellite in 2019 .

Flying to the International Space Station

Since NASA mothballed its space shuttles in 2011, NASA has relied on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get astronauts to the ISS. Russia has been steadily raising the price of Soyuz seats, reaching $82 million each in 2015. The agency last purchased Soyuz seats for $75 million apiece in 2017.

NASA hopes to end its reliance on Russia in 2019, when SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner capsules begin “taxi” flights to the ISS. Seats on those spacecraft are expected to cost about $58 million .

How much would I have to pay for a flight into space?

Depending on where you're going, a ticket could set you back anywhere from $250,000 to tens of millions of dollars.

If you're looking simply to cross the 62-mile-high Karman line that marks the boundary between the upper atmosphere and outer space, Virgin Galactic says it will take you there for $250,000. The company says about 650 people already have tickets for the suborbital flights, to be made aboard a winged vehicle called SpaceShipTwo. A date for customer flights has yet to be announced.

Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, plans something similar — sending space tourists on brief suborbital flights using its New Shepard rocket system. The company has yet to set ticket prices or say when paid flights might begin.

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin passengers will join the fewer than a dozen private citizens who have funded their own trips into space. From 2001 to 2009, the Vienna, Virginia-based firm Space Adventures worked with Russia’s space agency to send eight people to the ISS on flights lasting 10 or more days.

Space A colossal elevator to space could be going up sooner than you ever imagined

The world's first private astronaut, a wealthy American engineer named Dennis Tito, reportedly paid $20 million to spend eight days in space in 2001. More recently, Guy Laliberté, the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, shelled out $35 million for an ISS trip in 2009 . Space Adventures still advertises Soyuz flights and plans to start booking trips to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner.

In September 2018, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa would ride the company’s yet-to-be-built Big Falcon Rocket on a trip around the moon. Neither Musk nor Maezawa, who said he would take along seven artists, would discuss the mission’s cost.

What about other rockets?

Small satellites may qualify for a free ride to space through NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program, which helps universities and research groups fly standardized satellites called CubeSats aboard rockets as secondary payloads.

If your satellite can’t hitch a free ride, you can book a NASA sounding rocket to the edge of space for as little as $1 million . For orbital flights of payloads weighing less than 500 pounds, Los Angeles-based Rocket Lab offers launches of its Electron rocket from New Zealand for about $5 million .

From there, the price goes up steeply. Northrop Grumman's Pegasus rocket, which is air-launched from the belly of a jumbo jet, can place 1,000 pounds in orbit for about $40 million . Stratolaunch, a new venture bankrolled by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, plans to launch Pegasus rockets from its own colossal airplane before offering an expanded line of rockets capable of carrying up to 13,000 pounds. The company has yet to disclose prices.

NASA is developing its Space Launch System, which will carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. The rocket’s per-launch cost has not been disclosed, but the agency now spends at least $2 billion per year on the project. The maiden flight isn’t expected until 2020.

WANT MORE STORIES ABOUT SPACE TRAVEL?

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How Much Does It Cost to Go to Space? (Updated Prices)

• September 17, 2023

Exploring space comes with expenses encompassing spacecraft development, launch infrastructure, and mission operations. Factors include mission complexity, vehicle type, and duration. 

Beyond financial considerations, the significance of space travel endures. Now, let’s delve into key cost components and their nuances.

How Much Does It Cost to Go to Space?

Let’s break it down: key companies, their prices, and what you get. Curious about the price of space travel?

Virgin Galactic

At $250,000, you can get a seat on Branson’s SpaceShipTwo for a 90-minute flight. Journey beyond Earth’s atmosphere, crossing the 62-mile-high Karman line – the edge of space.

Blue Origin

Named after Alan Shepard, the first man in space, Jeff Bezos’ ‘New Shepard’ spacecraft nears passenger flights after successful tests. 

While ticket prices remain undisclosed, they’re expected to resemble Virgin Galactic’s $250,000 for space travel, signaling a potential comparable cost for Bezos’ venture.

SpaceX and NASA

SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, achieved successful ISS missions. Two NASA astronauts spent 2 months onboard the Dragon spacecraft. NASA’s decision to allow space tourism and business use of the ISS created excitement, especially among billionaires. 

Private astronauts can stay on the station for $35,000/night, up to 30 days, via US spacecraft. A round-trip ticket with SpaceX or Boeing costs about $60 million.

After NASA’s shuttle program ended in 2011, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, became the sole provider of spaceflights. NASA purchased seats on the Soyuz spacecraft, with costs escalating to $82 million per seat. 

Before 2011, Roscosmos collaborated with private firms, sending Dennis Tito as the first space tourist in 2001, embarking on a 7-day mission to the ISS.

What is Space Tourism?

Space tourism refers to the practice of individuals traveling beyond Earth’s atmosphere for recreational purposes. It involves paying for a spaceflight experience that allows non-professional astronauts to briefly experience weightlessness and witness the Earth from space. 

Space tourism is a growing industry, offering a unique and awe-inspiring adventure for those willing to explore beyond our planet.

What Are the Cost-Related Factors of Going to Space?

Embarking on a journey beyond Earth’s atmosphere is a remarkable feat, but it comes with a range of cost-related factors that influence the overall expense of space travel. From spacecraft development to mission operations, several key elements contribute to the final price tag of venturing into space.

Spacecraft Development and Production

One of the primary cost factors in space travel is the development and production of the spacecraft itself. 

Designing and building a vehicle that can withstand the harsh conditions of space, provide life support, and ensure the safety of passengers requires cutting-edge technology and extensive engineering expertise. 

The research, testing, and manufacturing processes all contribute significantly to the overall cost.

Launch Infrastructure and Technology

Getting a spacecraft off the ground involves sophisticated launch infrastructure and technology. Launchpads, rockets, propellant systems, and ground support facilities are essential for a successful launch. 

The expenses associated with building and maintaining these systems, along with the propulsion technology needed for space travel, add to the overall cost of the mission.

Mission Complexity and Duration

The complexity and duration of the mission play a pivotal role in determining its cost. Longer missions or those involving intricate maneuvers, such as orbital rendezvous, docking, or multiple destinations, require more resources, including fuel, supplies, and onboard systems. 

Additionally, complex missions often involve more thorough testing and training, contributing to increased costs.

Vehicle Type and Capacity

The type of vehicle used for space travel can significantly impact costs. Vehicles designed for suborbital flights, such as Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo [ 1 ], have different cost structures compared to those engineered for orbital or interplanetary missions. 

The capacity of the vehicle, in terms of the number of passengers it can carry, also affects costs. More passengers may lead to increased safety measures, supplies, and accommodations.

Safety Measures and Regulations

Ensuring the safety of passengers and crew is paramount in space travel. Meeting stringent safety standards and complying with regulations set by space agencies increases costs. 

Extensive testing, redundancy in critical systems, and emergency protocols contribute to the overall expense but are crucial for safeguarding the lives of those on board.

Market Competition and Demand

The emerging space tourism industry is witnessing increasing market competition, which can impact pricing. Companies strive to offer competitive prices to attract customers, which may lead to adjustments in cost structures and overall accessibility to space travel experiences.

Research and Innovation

Many aspects of space travel require continuous research and innovation, which comes with its own set of costs. Developing new technologies for propulsion, life support, and materials that can withstand space conditions contributes to the overall expenses.

Navigating the cost of space travel involves intricate considerations, spanning spacecraft design, launch logistics, mission intricacy, and safety protocols. This financial landscape continues to evolve, shaping the prospects of venturing beyond our planet’s bounds.

Noah Miller

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To boldly go on vacation

Summer is about to come into view, and along with it, the hordes of luggage-laden minivans heading for the great American vacation. There will be plane flights and train rides, Mount Rushmore visits and Grand Canyon views. It might not be long, though, before we’re all considering a type of trip that Clark W. Griswold would never have attempted: a voyage straight up into space to marvel at the Earth from afar and gaze at the stars like never before.

Space tourism is expected to “take off” in the next decade, with the Federal Aviation Administration predicting it to blossom into a billion-dollar industry in that time.

It’s not all that difficult to imagine, given the technological progression and increasing accessibility since man’s first “timid penetration beyond the confines of the atmosphere,” as cosmonautic patriarch Konstantin Tsiolkovsky forebode a century ago.

The Jetsons’ concept of every average George and Jane scooting around in private saucers was probably inevitable from the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957. What followed were decades of space-based machismo between Russia and the United States, one incredible moon landing and a bevy of science fiction that almost made space tourism passe. Almost.

Friends in high places

That all changed in 2001 when Dennis Tito decided he wanted to play Neil Armstrong for a few days — tagging along on a trip to the International Space Station. Creator of the Wilshire aggregate market index, Tito shelled out $20 million for the privilege of becoming the first space tourist, spending nearly eight days in space — to the reported chagrin of the actual astronauts involved in the mission who felt he needed more training.

Tito was also the first space tourist client of Space Adventures, which currently is the only company to have sold spaceflights to individuals that have been realized.

“Collectively, our clients have spent over three months in space, traveling over 36 million miles,” says Tom Shelley, president of Space Adventures.

The company offers a wide range of astonishing — and pricey — out-of-this-world experiences that would’ve seemed like fantasy to every nonastronaut (or cosmonaut) at the turn of the century.

Thanks to Space Adventures, you could be the eighth space tourist to orbit the Earth or to dock at the International Space Station. The price tag for such a trip now? Approximately $50 million. What’s more, you’ll probably be put to work with some sort of experiment while you’re up there, so don’t expect there to be any zero-gravity spa treatments included in your pricey package.

The most expensive walk you’ll ever take

Since you already wrote a check equivalent to the gross domestic product of a small country to see the Earth as so few have seen it, you may as well go all out. For another $15 million, you can stay on the International Space Station for five days to be trained and certified for an “Extravehicular Activity,” otherwise called a spacewalk. For 90 minutes, you will be out in the nothingness of space, realizing exactly how small you really are. You also may be given some menial task to make you feel important and take your mind off of the thought that you’re only one “everything going terribly wrong” away from drifting off helplessly into deep space.

If this still isn’t enough for you and you’ve just won Mega Millions, inquire about Space Adventure’s mission planned for 2017. It might sound like fiction, but they’re planning a circumlunar flight that will be the first human trip to the moon since 1972. As a bonus, you’ll get to do the Jim Lovell/Tom Hanks trick of hiding the Earth and “everything you’ve ever known” under your thumb from 240,000 miles away. The mission provides space for two commercial passengers at a price of $300 million, which is shocking in and of itself until you hear that someone has already reserved one of the seats. We’re going to guess they probably also called “shotgun.”

Space on a budget

Not every trip into space requires an eight-figure financial hemorrhage. One can still experience the wonders of weightlessness and looking out into black space and bright stars at a fraction of the price. Well, as long as you keep in mind how large the figure is we’re taking a fraction of.

Space Adventure’s subsidiary, Zero Gravity, offers what most people would consider the most horrifying plane ride of their life. And more than 7,000 people have paid about $5,000 to take this fear-inducing plunge. A modified Boeing 727 climbs at a 45 degree angle to 34,000 feet before reversing course and hurtling toward the ground. Each “parabola” provides about 30 seconds of weightlessness.

To “slip the surly bonds of Earth” and truly experience space comes with the next price bracket up. Space Adventures has partnered with Armadillo Aerospace to provide suborbital spaceflights at a price of $102,000 per ticket, with more than 200 tickets already reserved.

XCOR Aerospace, based in the Mojave Desert in California, is yet another space vacation company. It offers a 30-minute flight at 330,000 feet on its Lynx ship at a cost of $95,000, including a $20,000 deposit. The company gave away a free ticket in February, only to find out he is a NASA scientist and may be unable to accept. That’s one major suborbital tease.

Who’s going to space?

Who can forget the image of Lance Bass posing like he’s going to the astronaut prom? Though his push to reach space fell short, plenty of other celebrities are lining up to reach the stars.

One of the more marketed space tourism projects is Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, while currently in testing, may begin suborbital flights in 2013. Last month, Ashton Kutcher became the 500th passenger to sign up for the voyage. The price tag is $200,000 per seat, including a $20,000 deposit. Tom Hanks, Paris Hilton, Katy Perry and Angelina Jolie are reported to have tickets as well.

“We have a very diverse set of customers,” says Sean Wilson, who is with a firm that represents Virgin Galactic. “Some are famous, most are not; some are very wealthy, some are not.”

Public interest is just beginning to gain momentum as more spaceflight firms move closer to realizing their objectives.

“Clients from all walks of life are interested in Virgin Galactic, but at this stage there are not as many people with serious interest and the financial resources to purchase the flight,” says Jennifer Campbell, an owner of Explorations, a luxury travel company that offers flights aboard Virgin Galactic. “For many of the baby boomers that inquire, their interest with space began in the ’60s with Neil Armstrong and moon landings. They grew up with the promise of space travel.”

Sticker shock?

A bulk of what makes up the exorbitant price for commercial spaceflight is wrapped up in the research and development of the still-young commercial industry. It’s one of the rare instances when it is, in fact, rocket science. A launch needed for space flight requires an incredible amount of costly energy and precision.

“The price will always be expensive, but it will reduce in time when more vehicle manufacturers are launching their spacecraft and it’s a competitive environment,” Shelley says.

Wilson says he sees the company’s spaceflight prices possibly moving below $100,000 within the next decade.

“Our aspiration is definitely to bring the price down,” he says. “Historical analogies show that this is likely to happen. Financial success should encourage competition, economies of scale and new technologies, which should all exert a downward pressure on the end price.”

It may never be as cheap as booking a first-class ticket on a transatlantic flight, but the falling price of spaceflight may mean more dreams can come true.

“We know what a life-changing experience seeing the Earth from space is,” Wilson says. “To be able to offer that to individuals from all walks of life and from every country for the very first time is amazing.”

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How Much Does it Cost to Travel to Space?

Fast facts: 

• As of right now (2021), the cost of booking a trip to space in the near future is approximately $250,000 .
• The immediate cost of a trip to space (via something like SpaceX) in the next 2-3 years is in the tens of millions per passenger .
• In the medium-future, the cost of individual tickets into space will drastically fall in price.
• Based on estimations, it is likely that the cost of space tourism tickets will be around $10,000 – $25,000 within the next twenty years .

How much will it cost for a private citizen to travel to space?

Since the Champion Traveler research team is heavily focused on private travel (as opposed to how much it costs astronauts to fly to space), all data used in this article will be based on the idea of privatized space tourism. This industry is expected to hit a major milestone in the 2020s, and it is likely that space tourism will become not only more common but more affordable within the next twenty to fifty years.

As of right now, based on early estimations from several major private space exploration companies (SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic), the first privatized space travel will cost adventurous travelers somewhere around $250,000 for a short trip into Earth’s orbit. This quarter of a million dollar price tag for private space tourism will likely include somewhere between a few hours and a few days orbiting the Earth.

This type of space travel will remain expensive for several years, but as all things improve and become more efficient within the process, the cost will very likely start to decrease within a matter of years. There is likely a heavier price tag on the first couple of trips simply because of the historic nature of them. As market demand balances out and more space tourism is available, it seems likely the cost of a ticket for a short adventure into space will be somewhere around $10,000 to $25,000 depending on the length of the trip and the number of passengers included on each flight.

When will space travel become more affordable?

As of right now (2021), space travel is more likely a pipe dream for many than a realistic vacation. A quarter of a million dollars for one trip into outer space is likely not something many people will be able to afford in the short term. But as costs drop and space tourism becomes more efficient (and likely sees more competition), ticket prices for space travel will fall back down to Earth.

As for how long this will take, within 20 years (by about the year 2040), space travel should see a gradual decrease in price to somewhere in the $10,000 – $25,000 range (in 2021 dollars) where it will likely flat line for a while based on current cost estimations of scale, fuel costs, production costs, and regulation.

It is possible that we will see privatized space tourism drop down to somewhere in the $5,000 – $10,000 range as well if more competition enters the market if demand stays high.

Will space travel ever be cheaper than air travel?

The problem with comparing space travel to the current price of air travel is that the current market for air travel remains in high demand for both tourism and business purposes.

In the medium term, the only purpose that space travel as tourism will serve is for quick trips into space and back. There won’t be necessarily, at least in the foreseeable future, a spike in travel demand for business purposes and thus the overall market demand for space tourism will remain relatively small.

Because of this, it is very unlikely that we will ever see space tourism anywhere near comparable flights for something like a transatlantic flight to Europe from the United states for $500-700.

When will space travel be available to more people?

Based on current development of spaceships capable of carrying a larger number of private citizens, we expect that by the 2030s it will be possible to book a ticket via one of the current major space exploration brands (SpaceX, Blue Origin), and that we also will likely see between two and five new companies enter the market in that time.

With a growing number of companies producing spacecraft capable of allowing for space tourism, there will likely be hundreds of available seats in a given year within the next decade, and thousands of available seats a year after that.

Is space tourism safe?

This is something nobody has enough of a firm grasp on to say definitively one way or the other just yet, but it seems fair to assume given how long it has taken to commercialized space travel, that the early flights will take every precaution possible.

It’s fully reasonable to expect that over the course of space tourism expansion there will be accidents and likely death, but at the same time, the same can still be said about traditional air travel. While statistically considered extremely safe, there will always be a minimal amount of risk associated with any type of travel.

What companies offer private space travel?

There are many now-defunct companies who have tried to establish footing in space tourism, but as of now there seem to be three main companies we will be watching closely when it comes to offering one of the grandest possible adventures for private citizens:

• SpaceX – Led by Elon Musk, this company seems the most likely to begin ramping up space tourism within the next two decades. They have a planned launch for their first space tourists in the coming two years.
• Virgin Galactic – Led by Richard Branson, this company has been around the longest (of the surviving companies), but has yet to launch their first commercial space tourists into space.
• Blue Origin – Led by Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin has focused mostly on commercial space travel, but has also discussed expanding their efforts into personal space travel in the near future.

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SpaceX unveils cosmic tourism: Here's how to book your ticket to space

The elon musk-led company has started selling tickets for low-earth orbit trips and beyond as soon as the end of this year, hoping to use its dragon and the starship for the journeys.

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This space tourism company wants to take people to the stratosphere with a helium balloon for $150,000. See inside its capsule designed by a former Ferrari designer.

• Halo Space is a space-tourism company that uses helium balloons instead of rockets or jets.
• CEO Carlos Mira plans to launch commercial flights in 2026,  and take 10,000 people to the stratosphere by 2030.
• The company unveiled the interior of its capsule, designed by ex-Ferrari designer Frank Stephenson.

Halo Space was founded in 2021 with the goal of improving access to space tourism .

It would still be out of reach for most people, at around $150,000 a ticket, but by using helium balloons instead of jets or rockets, it's cheaper and more sustainable than the likes of Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic .

CEO Carlos Mira believes his company can take 10,000 people to the stratosphere within the next six years. He said Halo will start commercial flights in 2026.

Last Wednesday, the firm unveiled the interior of its capsule — designed by Frank Stephenson , a renowned industrial designer formerly of Ferrari and Maserati,.

Business Insider attended a London event hosted by the company to learn more about Halo Space and how it hopes to achieve its grand ambitions.

In the world of space tourism, the first companies that come to mind are the likes of SpaceX, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic — which can cost millions of dollars for a ticket.

Halo Space is trying a different, cheaper route. It plans to use a capsule lifted by a helium balloon into the stratosphere.

The Spanish company says its capsules will cruise at 18 to 22 miles above the Earth — around the same height as Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking skydive back in 2012.

The best moments from Felix Baumgartner's supersonic jump

The trip would last for four to six hours in total. That's longer than a Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic flight, but less than SpaceX's.

But by using a balloon instead of jet engines, the price could be around $150,000 — compared to Virgin Galactic's $450,000; Blue Origin's $28 million; or Space X's $55 million. It's also more sustainable.

Only about 650 people have ever been to space. The firm's CEO, Carlos Mira, claimed `Halo can up that figure to 10,000 by 2030 — aiming for at least two flights a week.

It plans to launch the capsule from sites in the US, Australia, Spain, and Saudi Arabia. The firm will set up temporary venues for customers that reflect the country, described as "more than glamping."

At a press conference last Wednesday, Halo unveiled the interior of its space capsule, designed by Frank Stephenson — formerly of Ferrari and BMW.

Stephenson made his name designing the Fiat 500 and the BMW X5, among other cars, but has been more involved with aerospace firms in recent years. He previously spoke to Business Insider about his work designing electric-vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft, or eVTOLs — commonly known as flying taxis . Like Halo, they're focused on sustainability.

Stephenson spoke about how his design firm constructed its own 1:1 scale model of the capsule in order to figure out the best possible layout. "Computers don't design, humans design. That's really the only way to capture the human touch," he said.

He and his team tried a few different arrangements to figure out how to best position the nine seats, which includes one for a pilot.

They settled on this design, with all the seats facing outwards during the main cruise to maximize the views. But during takeoff and landing, half face backward and half forward.

Stephenson shared the sketches of the seat design, showing how much thought went into details like the armrest and adjustable headrest.

The capsule also features fold-down dining trays to maximize space. The area at the bottom stores meals, hot or cold, and Halo says it would serve whatever the customer requests.

Stephenson said it was also important to maximize space for the bathroom: "Nobody likes a tight space. Even if you fly upper class in most commercial airliners, it's quite tight and uncomfortable."

The mannequin in the image represents the 95th percentile for male height.

One of the most intriguing features is its plans for augmented reality, like showing differing constellations in the sky or where on Earth the capsule is flying over.

Overall, the capsule is over 16 feet wide and 11 feet tall.

Halo has conducted five test flights since 2022 and hopes to launch commercial flights as soon as 2026.

But its grand ambitions won't be easy to achieve. Halo thinks it will first be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration before getting approval in other countries.

Some at the press conference questioned whether Halo could face a similar fate as OceanGate, which owned the submersible that imploded last year. "Is this another way for rich people to kill themselves?" asked Aerospace Magazine's editor in chief.

What is OceanGate? Meet the company that made a business out of risky deep-sea tours of the Titanic shipwreck.

"Safety, for us, is the priority," Mira replied. "We are using mature technologies. Balloons have been around for more than 200 years." He also noted that Halo has partnered with engineering firms like Aciturri.

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I have a purchased ticket but my schedule change however i don't have specific date when will be my next travel. Can I use my active ticket that i already purchased to an OPEN TICKET? and how much does it cost?

4 replies to this topic

Hi Febie, you'll need to contact whomever you ordered your ticket from to get an answer to that.

Some restricted tickets can be changed for a fee but others cannot be changed even if you are willing to pay

The answer is: unlikely you can do this cheaply. Probably less expensive to throw it away and buy a new ticket for the date you need

You can’t buy an open ticket online either. If your schedule is likely to change, either buy one way and another one way when you know when you’ll return.

Or you can buy a flexible ticket (not the same as purchasing a “flexible” service which is anything but). But they tend to be very pricey & you do need to reserve flights & then change them.

It’s really best not to buy with the intention of changing anything.

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Six Ways to Buy A Ticket to Space in 2021

Space tourism could finally become a reality next year. these space companies are either already selling seats to private customers, or soon will be..

In 2004, Burt Rutan’s privately built SpaceShipOne flew just beyond the edge of space before landing safely back on Earth. That historic feat was enough to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize , as well as help convince the public that an era of space tourism was finally within humanity’s grasp. Now, more than 15 years later, aspiring space tourists are on the verge of having their dreams realized.

Earlier this month, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule safely ferried NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken back to Earth following a multi-month trip to the International Space Station (ISS). No privately built spacecraft had ever carried humans into orbit before. But unlike SpaceShipOne, which was a single craft built specifically to win a prize, there are multiple models of the Crew Dragon, each designed to be reused.   

It's finally looking like the exciting era of space tourism is about to erupt. A handful of so-called “new space” companies are now competing to sell space tourists trips on private spacecraft. Each one has a slightly different means of reaching space, and not all of them will get you all the way into orbit. But as long as you’re rich, you should have no problem purchasing your ticket to space.

Virgin Galactic 

SpaceShipOne was retired after just three successful spaceflights, but the technology lives on in Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Unity . Like its predecessor, Virgin Galactic’s rocketplane drops from a specially engineered aircraft before boosting itself to 50 miles (80 kilometers) in altitude. That’s high enough for Virgin Galactic’s pilots to earn their astronaut badges. However, others define space via the so-called Kármán line, the generally accepted boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space that sits 62 miles (100 kilometers) above our planet’s surface.

Virgin Galactic’s goal is to become “the world’s first commercial spaceline,” and eventually they’ll offer regular flights from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. The company is planning to begin regular flights in early 2021, with CEO Richard Branson slated as the first non-professional pilot to travel on Spaceship Unity .

How much does a ticket to space cost through Virgin Galactic? Originally, the company charged $250,000 to early buyers. And more than 600 people have already signed up at that price to be “Future Astronauts.” But now Virgin Galactic expects to raise its rates, though they have yet to release a final price. With a $1,000 deposit, you can sign up to get on the waiting list .  

SpaceX is the only private rocket company to ever send a human into orbit. They’re also the only company now NASA-certified to send people to circle Earth. So, when will SpaceX start selling tickets to private citizens for trips to space? In the past, Elon Musk has said that the spacecraft could have a bright future carrying private passengers into orbit. And SpaceX recently announced that it has already sold seats on future Crew Dragon flights through other companies that are handling the logistics.

Ultimately though, Musk’s goal is to settle Mars. And to do that, he needs a bigger spacecraft. That’s why SpaceX’s engineers are working feverishly on its Starship, which is still under development. If the enormous spaceship works, it could literally rocket dozens of space tourists at a time between a number of destinations on Earth, or perhaps throughout the inner solar system. The company says that Starship would be able to travel between any two locations on Earth in less than one hour.

SpaceX is confident enough in their vessel that they already sold a Starship flight around the moon to Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. No human has traveled to the moon in nearly 50 years, and Maezawa, a fashion designer and online clothing retailer, has said he’ll take a group of artists with him. 

Blue Origin

Jeff Bezos started his rocket company, Blue Origin, back in 2000. And he’s been selling Amazon stock to pump billions of dollars into the effort ever since. Like SpaceX, they’re prioritizing reusable rockets and spacecraft that can drastically reduce the cost associated with spaceflight. 

Much of Blue Origin’s effort has gone into developing a pair of rockets: New Shepard and New Glenn. 

New Shepard can carry six people inside a suborbital capsule some 60 miles (100 km) into space. Blue Origin has already flown a dozen test flights, and they’re still planning several additional tests before launching passengers. However, in March, Axios reported that Blue Origin could send passengers into space in 2020, though COVID-19 has caused delays across the space industry. If the company can still get its space capsule tested in 2020, it could be on course for paid flights in 2021. 

Meanwhile, Blue Origin has announced that it will soon start selling tickets. The company’s website doesn’t list the price of a Blue Origin trip, but Bezos has previously said their space tourists can expect to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to fly in its New Shepard capsule.

The company is also working hard on their New Glenn rocket, a heavy-lift, reusable launch vehicle that Blue Origin has already invested more than $2.5 billion into developing. It’s larger than SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, but smaller than the rocket planned with Starship. That size could eventually enable regular passenger trips into orbit and even beyond. The company will need that capacity, too. Blue Origin’s goal is to one day have millions of people living and working in space. 

Axiom Space’s goal is to create the world’s first commercial space station. In the meantime, they’ve inked a deal to send a crew of private citizens to the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule in October 2021.

Axiom’s initial crewed mission, dubbed Ax1, should send three paying astronauts to the ISS. Each ticket reportedly costs $55 million. And while it might seem like there’s a small pool of potential ticket buyers at that rate, in the U.S. alone, roughly 75,000 American households have that much money. Axiom also figures it’s just getting started selling tickets to space. In the near future, the company says it will send three crews a year to the ISS. 

With all those visitors coming to stay, the space station is going to get a bit more crowded. That’s part of the reason why NASA is helping fund a fixed-price , $140 million viewing port from Axiom that will look something like the current Cupola . Axiom also won NASA’s approval to add several commercial modules to the ISS as part of their Axiom Orbital Segment. Ultimately, this commercial segment could be spun out into its own privately-run space station and serve as a hub for space travel even after the ISS is retired.

Back in 2014, NASA selected two companies — SpaceX and Boeing — to receive multibillion-dollar contracts to build spacecraft that could ferry astronauts to the ISS. SpaceX made good on the first crewed flight of its Commercial Crew Program contract earlier this year. Meanwhile, Boeing has yet to get its Starliner spacecraft safely to the ISS and back. Their first test flight reached orbit but failed to make the space station, and a NASA review outlined numerous necessary fixes. 

Boeing will attempt another uncrewed test flight next year. And if all goes well, they could fly to the ISS by late 2021. 

But once Boeing is flying to and from the ISS, the iconic aerospace company is also technically allowed to fly private passengers to the space station. They’ve been quiet on this option, but NASA has said they’d accommodate passengers at a rate of $35,000 per night. 

Boeing has also hired a corporate test pilot astronaut, Christopher Ferguson. He’s been training alongside NASA’s astronauts and will be among the first to fly on Starliner. He might not count as a space tourist, but Ferguson will ultimately be part of an entirely new group of professional astronauts that work for private companies, not national space agencies. 

Space Adventures

Space Adventures is an American company that offers private spaceflights to the ISS and, eventually, the moon. Since their founding in 1998, the company has sold a number of other spaceflight related experiences, like simulated zero-gravity airplane flights. And unlike their competitors, Space Adventures has sent space tourists into orbit, too. They’ve been responsible for over half a dozen paid trips to the ISS that made use of Russian spacecraft.

Most recently, they booked a launch to the space station on Russia’s veteran Soyuz spacecraft, which is set for December 2021. The mission, dubbed Soyuz MS-20, will fly with a lone cosmonaut and two Space Adventures tourists. 

Space Adventures has arranged another path to get paying customers into space, too. They recently announced a deal with SpaceX that will put four space tourists in a SpaceX capsule and send them into orbit around Earth. How much will it cost? For now, both companies are keeping the cost of these tickets private. But those who do make the trip should get an excellent show. The mission will orbit at several times the height of the ISS.

Unfortunately, few of us have enough disposable income to fund a trip beyond Earth's atmosphere. But with at least a half dozen ways for the wealthy to purchase a ticket into space next year, the hope is that the cost will continue to decline. And if that happens, you might be closer than you think to regularly having your rocket pass checked by the TSA.

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How to get Billie Eilish tickets for the 2024-2025 world tour

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Billie Eilish is coming off quite a thrilling couple of years, and it looks like she's gearing up to continue the excitement through 2025. The Grammy and Oscar Award-winning singer-songwriter just announced the "Hit Me Hard and Soft" world tour, and tickets go on sale to the general public very soon. We'll show you everything you need to know about how to get Billie Eilish tickets, including details on accessing the pre-sale.

Eilish has already won nine Grammy Awards at just 22 years old, and she added a second Oscar to the mix earlier this year when she won Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for her work on "What Was I Made For?" in the Barbie movie, alongside her brother Finneas. The duo previously won the Oscar in 2022 for their "No Time To Die" song in the most recent James Bond movie.

Eilish announced the "Hit Me Hard and Soft" tour in celebration of her forthcoming album of the same name, which will be released on May 17. This will be Eilish's third studio album, following "Happier Than Ever" and "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?"

We've got you covered if you're looking for tickets to Billie Eilish's 2024-2025 concert tour. Here's our breakdown of Billie Eilish's tour schedule, purchasing details, and anticipated pricing. Plus, we'll show you everything you need to know about the Ticketmaster pre-sale, general public sale, and exchange program.

• See also: Taylor Swift tickets | Olivia Rodrigo tickets | Zach Bryan tickets | Bad Bunny tickets | Stevie Nicks tickets

Billie Eilish schedule

Billie Eilish's "Hit Me Hard and Soft" tour will run through North America, including stops in Canada and the US, from September 29, 2024, to December 17, 2024. Then, she'll embark on the international legs of her tour, starting in Australia on February 18, 2025, and ending in Ireland on July 27, 2025. Below, we've compiled all of her North American tour dates. You can check Ticketmaster for a full list of global tour stops and additional ticketing information.

• Québec, QC (September 29, 2024)
• Toronto, ON (October 1, 2024)
• Toronto, ON (October 2, 2024)
• Baltimore, MD (October 4, 2024)
• Philadelphia, PA (October 5, 2024)
• Detroit, MI (October 7, 2024)
• Newark, NJ (October 9, 2024)
• Boston, MA (October 11, 2024)
• Pittsburgh, PA (October 13, 2024)
• New York, NY (October 16, 2024)
• New York, NY (October 17, 2024)
• New York, NY (October 18, 2024)
• Atlanta, GA (November 2, 2024)
• Atlanta, GA (November 3, 2024)
• Nashville, TN (November 6, 2024)
• Cincinnati, OH (November 8, 2024)
• Saint Paul, MN (November 10, 2024)
• Saint Paul, MN (November 11, 2024)
• Chicago, IL (November 13, 2024)
• Chicago, IL (November 14, 2024)
• Kansas City, MO (November 16, 2024)
• Omaha, NE (November 17, 2024)
• Denver, CO (November 19, 2024)
• Denver, CO (November 20, 2024)
• Vancouver, BC (December 3, 2024)
• Seattle, WA (December 5, 2024)
• Seattle, WA (December 6, 2024)
• Portland, OR (December 8, 2024)
• San Jose, CA (December 10, 2024)
• San Jose, CA (December 11, 2024)
• Glendale, AZ (December 13, 2024)
• Los Angeles, CA (December 15, 2024)
• Los Angeles, CA (December 16, 2024)
• Los Angeles, CA (December 17, 2024)

Need travel arrangements?

• Flights & hotel:  Booking.com  |  Expedia  
• Flights:  Booking.com  |  Expedia  
• Accommodation:  Booking.com  |  Expedia  |  Airbnb  
• Parking:  Spot Hero  |  The Parking Spot

How to get Billie Eilish tickets

Initial Billie Eilish tickets are sold through Ticketmaster . Tickets are first sold through a pre-sale from Tuesday, April 30 at 12 p.m. ET to Friday, May 3 at 11 a.m. ET. Among those able to access the pre-sale are American Express cardholders. Starting on Friday, May 3 at 12 p.m. ET, tickets will go on sale to the general public on Ticketmaster. Historically, Billie Eilish tickets are snapped up pretty quickly, so fans will want to be waiting in the queue as soon as the sale starts.

Listings for Eilish's shows through resale websites like StubHub and Vivid Seats popped up before the pre-sale started. People are welcome to browse those sites as well, although those tickets are not guaranteed yet.

For the "Hit Me Hard and Soft" world tour, tickets on many dates are not eligible for transfer outside the official Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange program. States like New York, Illinois, Colorado, Virginia, Utah, and Connecticut have laws that don't limit ticket resale, so people can purchase tickets through resale websites for concerts in those regions. For shows outside those states, you'll probably want to stick with buying from the Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange if you cannot get your hands on original standard tickets during the initial sale.

How much are Billie Eilish tickets?

Original Billie Eilish ticket prices vary depending on the date and location within a venue. While Ticketmaster hasn't listed any prices yet, the Heritage Bank Center website (which will host Eilish's Cincinnati, Ohio show on November 8) shared a range of prices. According to the venue's website , tickets start at $59.50 and go up to $499.50.

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• Puget Sound
• Traffic Lab

Your how-to guide for the new Eastside light rail line

The East Link Starter Line, also called the 2 Line, begins service 11 a.m. Saturday with eight stops in Bellevue and Redmond. If you’re a newcomer to Sound Transit light rail, here’s what to know.

Hours: Eastside trains are scheduled to arrive every 10 minutes, seven days a week from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Travel time: A ride on the 6-mile line, end to end, lasts 20 minutes.

Capacity: Two-car trains are intended to carry 300 people, when half are seated and half standing.

Locations: At the south end is South Bellevue Station. From there, trains head northeast to East Main, Bellevue Downtown, Wilburton, Spring District, BelRed, Overlake Village and the last stop, Redmond Technology Station. Free park-and-ride space is available at South Bellevue (1,500 stalls), BelRed (300), Overlake Village (203 stalls, four blocks away) and Redmond Technology (300). The other four stations include passenger drop-off sites and connecting bus stops.

Fares: Standard adult fares are $2.25 to $2.50 depending on distance. Link light rail charges $1 for 65+, disabled and low-income passengers holding a discounted ORCA fare card. People 18 and younger ride transit free throughout Washington state. Fares will be collected opening weekend.

How to pay: Fares are paid before entering trains. Most people use a regional ORCA fare card, tapping it on a yellow detector near the station entrance. Tap again when leaving a station to avoid overcharges. See orcacard.com to order fare cards online or find in-person sites . ORCA cards are available at many QFC and Fred Meyer stores. Paper single-trip and all-day tickets are sold in station vending machines, which accept cash or credit/debit cards. If you’re taking more than a couple of rides, it’s simpler to buy an ORCA fare card directly from the ticket machine. You pay $3 for the card, then load it with funds. Or download the Transit Go app .

Station entry: There are no turnstiles. “Fare ambassadors” canvass some trains to check for proof of payment and help people navigate. They issue advice or warnings and can cite repeat evaders for $50 or more. Pedestrians should look all ways for trains next to station platforms and at grade crossings around BelRed Station.

Bicycles: Bikes are allowed onboard light rail, hanging from a hook in a nook that doubles as luggage space.

Restrooms: There are no public restrooms in the eight stations.

Buses: The primary train-bus connections are I-90 routes that swing by South Bellevue Station; Highway 520 routes next to Redmond Technology Station; and I-405 buses that converge at Bellevue Downtown Station. Metro’s B Line bus links the Crossroads neighborhood to multiple train stops including Wilburton.

Traffic Lab | Eastside Light Rail

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• The highs and lows of Eastside’s 8 new light rail stations, from parking to traffic hazards
• New to light rail? Here’s your starter kit for riding
• Eastside’s light rail wait is almost over with ‘Starter Line’
• Map: Eastside’s first light rail stations open April 27
• Timeline: Eastside light rail has been a long time coming

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