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RocketBreaks are pioneering the future of space travel. Featured on Series 21, Episode 10 of BBC’s Dragon Den.

We’re not just about space travel. We’re here because we’re driven by the thrill of discovery and the human urge to push boundaries.

A Space Travel Agency with over 15 years experience in the luxury travel industry, we can help you have the most incredible adventure of your life.

As the world’s first dedicated space travel agency, we offer a range of experiences that you will never forget, including Zero-G Flights , where you achieve weightlessness, orbital space vacations, and bespoke VIP Earth-based activities that you can enjoy with friends and family.

The next decade will see increased possibilities in space travel for private individuals. As more international space programmes are launched there will be a growth in the choice of private travel possibilities including lunar landers and other space transportation.

Why not join us right now, at the forefront of space travel and become a true RocketBreaks pioneer.

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An experience like no other, we arrange every detail of your bespoke space package, perfectly..

At every stage of your space travel adventure we take care that your experience is exactly how you want it to be. We tailor every part of it to be just how you expect, and inline with your abilities and the memories you want to make.

This maybe how your arrive at a launch site, the training you undergo for a spaceflight or a spacewalk, or something as simple, but important as your choice of food and of course your sleeping arrangements.

We will create the perfectly bespoke space package for you, which means you can focus on enjoying your expedition.

Our experienced crew will be there to guide you every step of the way, and to provide any assistance you may need.

Whether you’re an experienced astronaut or a first-time space traveler, we will make sure that your journey is unforgettable, and that you return with memories that will last a lifetime. So why wait? Contact us today and let us help you plan your dream space adventure!

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From Earth based space parties with a real astronaut, to a full 10 day visit to the International Space Station, we can arrange the most amazing memorable experience of your life. Speak to us today to find out more about how to start your space journey.

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What our space travellers say

The tour exceeded all my expectations, from the smooth take-off at Kennedy Space Center to the breathtaking views of Earth from the moon. The crew was professional and ensured our safety and comfort throughout the journey. I highly recommend this once-in-a-lifetime space travel adventure!

Saturnee Rajasamy

My trip to Mars was absolutely worth every penny! The journey was thrilling, and the views of the red planet left me speechless. Despite a minor issue with communication back on Earth, the onboard amenities were excellent, and I enjoyed delicious meals. If you’re a space enthusiast seeking an unforgettable adventure, this is it!

Marsan Arifin

Embarking on a space journey was an experience like no other! The launch was thrilling, and watching Earth shrink behind us was awe-inspiring. Although there were a few technical glitches and some discomfort, the trip to the asteroid belt was truly spectacular. Overall, it was an adventure I’m glad I took part in.

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What physical and health prerequisites are needed for participating in space travel?

To partake in this extraordinary adventure, passengers need to be in sound health and physical condition, be able to handle the rigors of launch, re-entry forces, and potential lunar gravity if partaking in our Moon base program. Individual requirements may vary depending on the specific mission.

What is the duration of various space tours offered?

The duration differs based on the mission type. Flyby explorations typically last a few hours, a trip to our Moon base can last up to a week, and the asteroid staging hub visit may extend to several weeks, inclusive of preparation and travel time

How does the company ensure safety in space tourism?

Safety is our utmost priority. All spacecraft undergo meticulous testing and regular maintenance. Passengers are trained thoroughly in safety procedures and are always accompanied by seasoned astronauts. We comply with all international standards for space travel.

What kind of pre-journey training is required?

All passengers must complete a pre-flight training regimen that includes physical fitness, safety protocols, understanding spacecraft operations, and emergency preparedness. The content and duration of training depend on mission specifics

How far into space do the different tours travel?

Flyby tours explore low Earth orbit around 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the Earth’s surface. The lunar tours travel approximately 385,000 kilometers (239,000 miles) to our Moon base, while the asteroid tours or other planetary flybys journey even further into space to our staging hubs and beyond

What can passengers expect to see and experience during various space tours?

Depending on the tour, passengers can experience weightlessness, witness Earth from space, explore the lunar surface, in-base activities and entertainments or engage in asteroid mining activities at our staging hubs. Each tour offers unique views and experiences

What is the cost of different space tours? Are there flexible payment options?

The cost varies significantly based on the journey specifics. We provide various payment plans to accommodate different budgets and financial scenarios. You can check out our deal page and its popular tour packages. We even offer 24 months interest-free instalment !

Are there age restrictions for space travel?

Yes, passengers must be at least 18 years old to participate. There’s no upper age limit but physical health requirements must be met. Our deals come with free insurance.

How does one book and schedule a space tour?

Space tours can be booked via our website or by contacting our customer service team directly. Post-booking, passengers will receive detailed information about their training schedule, launch date, and other mission specifics

What contingency plans are in place for technical difficulties or unforeseen circumstances during the journey?

We have comprehensive contingency plans for various scenarios, including safe return protocols if a mission needs to be aborted prematurely. Our spacecraft are equipped with multiple redundant systems to ensure passenger safety in case of any technical difficulties. All our astronauts and technical experts are professionally trained and NASA certified

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Space Tourism Is Here: Booking a Trip to the Final Frontier

The next era of space exploration and innovation is here — and we're all invited. Space tourism is officially taking flight, and it might just save the Earth.

In July 2021, we watched as Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos took to the skies in a giant leap for the space tourism industry, but their launches to the edge of space weren't timed particularly well. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and climate emergency, two billionaires taking joy rides to space may not have been good optics, but don't underestimate what happened — and how important it could be for the future of humanity.

With the first crewed launches of Virgin Galactic's supersonic space plane and Blue Origin's reusable rocket, a world of commercial space travel is taking its first step. Both companies plan to begin regular, scheduled trips for paying space tourists in the near future, but their visions stretch back many years to the beginning of human spaceflight.

The Space Race: Then and Now

Bezos's Blue Origin chose an auspicious day to send its first crew to space. July 20, 2021 was exactly 52 years after Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon. But that wasn't the only major space travel anniversary celebrated in 2021.

April 12 was the 60th anniversary of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human to not only reach space, but also go into orbit around Earth. Meanwhile, May 5 saw the 60th anniversary of NASA's Freedom 7 mission, which launched Alan Shepard on a suborbital flight that lasted 15 minutes. He reached an altitude of 101 miles to become the first American in space before his capsule parachuted to splashdown in the ocean.

The name of Blue Origin's New Shepard launch system is no coincidence. Its mission profile is almost identical to America's inaugural 1961 spaceflight, save for billionaire-grade comfy seats and large windows. From Launch Site One near Van Horn in the West Texas desert, that rocket fires a capsule containing up to six people (but no pilot) into space, which then parachutes down 15 minutes later.

The Virgin Galactic experience is different. Its supersonic rocket-powered spaceplane SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity seats six passengers and two highly trained pilots. It takes off on a runway from Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, while strapped to a mothership. At 52,000 feet, it detaches and burns its rocket engine for one minute to reach Mach 3 speeds and touch the edge of space. After a few minutes of weightlessness (and a chance for passengers to see the curvature of Earth against the blackness of space), it glides back to land on a runway.

The Price for a Ticket to Space

These short trips cost between $250,000 and $500,000, but in April 2022, a truly out-of-this-world private trip to space launched with an even more astronomical price tag. It came from the other billionaire in the space tourism bubble: Elon Musk. Axiom Mission 1 saw his company, SpaceX, launch four private astronauts on behalf of Houston-based space tourism company Axiom Space. An American real estate investor, a Canadian investor, a former Israeli Air Force pilot, and a former NASA astronaut took an incredible orbital mission in its Crew Dragon spacecraft. 

At $55 million per ticket, the trip to the International Space Station represented ultra-aspirational space tourism of the highest order. "They [did] what real astronauts do, and I don't think it's an accident that Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin did their flights before Axiom's mission,” says Christina Korp, cofounder of  Space for a Better World . Axiom Space intends to launch a private space station — the first "space hotel" — as early as 2025 to give space tourists somewhere to visit.

The Future of Space Tourism — and of Our Planet

Musk talks of Mars colonies and humanity spreading out into the cosmos, but since 2012, SpaceX has made a lot of money from NASA contracts to launch supplies to the ISS. In the summer of 2020, it began ferrying NASA astronauts there, too. SpaceX's Starship — currently being tested — is slated to land two NASA astronauts, the first woman and the next man, on the moon as early as 2025.

You see, space tourism is just a sideshow to a bigger and more worthy goal of saving the planet. Sometime in the next few years, Blue Origin plans to test its reusable New Glenn rocket — named after John Glenn, who, in 1962, became the first American to orbit the Earth — which will be able to take cargo and astronauts into orbit. Bezos has said he thinks we need to go to space to save Earth, specifically by protecting the planet from pollution by moving heavy industry into space. That can only happen when space travel is safe, scheduled, and affordable. Space tourism will help create a competitive space economy, just as mass tourism has lowered the cost of flying.

Similarly, Branson's aim is to increase access to space. "We are at the vanguard of a new space age…Our mission is to make space more accessible to all," he said after his inaugural flight. A microgravity experiment was on board that first flight in July 2021, with similar plans for all subsequent trips.

The scientific spin-offs for all of us down on Earth are currently unknown, but the space community has an incredible track record when it comes to innovation. "Clean energy as solar power is from the space program," says Korp. "Solar panels were invented to power satellites and refined to power spacecraft." Cue GPS, weather forecasting, telecommunications, and even internet access. There are also fleets of satellites large and small that observe how our planet is behaving and changing. "It's the space industry that's monitoring climate change, tracking hurricanes, and learning how to survive in the extreme environment of space — including experiments to grow food with almost no water, for example," says Korp. Every single space mission, including suborbital and even zero-gravity flights, have environmental experiments on board as default.

"This is not about escaping Earth," said Bezos after the flight. "The whole point is, this is the only good planet in the solar system and we have to take care of it." Bezos wants to scale up into affordable space travel. That will enable long-term, commercial projects that ultimately may help prevent further climate change, or at least help us cope with its consequences.

However, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and SpaceX won't be the only way to reach space. Russian space agency Roscosmos is expected to take "citizen space explorers" to the ISS soon, but the most affordable way to get "black sky time" may be with Space Perspective , which will launch a pressurized capsule propelled by a high-performance space balloon.

The six-hour flight costs $125,000 per person and is slated to launch from Space Coast Spaceport in Florida in 2024 (the first flight is already fully booked, but you can put your name on a waiting list for any future expeditions). "Unlike short-lived, adrenaline-fueled moments of weightlessness, Space Perspective flights bring you space calm," says Jane Poynter, founder, co-CEO, and CXO of Space Perspective. The flights on Spaceship Neptune involve a gentle ascent at just 12 miles per hour for a six-hour tour of Earth's biosphere, culminating in a view of our beautiful planet from space.

Space tourism is here at last. Instagram had better get ready for "Earth selfies."

Program Credits

Editorial Lead: Elizabeth Rhodes Contributors: Jamie Carter and Stefanie Waldek Visuals Editor: Mariah Tyler Art Director: Jenna Brillhart Designer: Sarah Maiden

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Home Six Space Travel Companies That Will Change Our World

Six Space Travel Companies That Will Change Our World

• Space Impulse
• March 31, 2023

Table of Contents

by Julia Seibert

Houston, we have… billionaires? When the so-called space race between Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson and their respective companies kicked off in 2021, the idea of commercial companies sending people into space for profit seemed ludicrous. The richest of the rich taking joyrides in polluting rockets, leaving the rest of the world in the dust… the headlines basically wrote themselves. 

While space tourism sounds like a frivolous affair, it is predicted to become a US $12.7 billion industry by 2031. The business model is simple: a multitude of flight options and falling launch prices, brought about by a thriving commercial space sector, entice rich customers harboring longtime astronaut dreams into buying a ticket. Besides the providers making a buck, this trend might have wider-reaching implications. An increase in human spaceflight – even if it is touristic – could bring about new developments in the field and change the landscape of the industry.

Space Travel

When human spaceflight took its baby steps in the 1960s, astronauts were an elite breed. Handpicked from various military programs and put through grueling training, the lucky few had to endure being crammed into a tin can and sent to our celestial neighbor with barely-tested technology. Today’s professional astronauts are hardly any different. Though their spacecraft have evolved somewhat, the sheer amount of skills, certifications, experience, and even physical aspects required for the job is baffling and simply impossible to attain for the average person. 

Changing this apparent inaccessibility of space was on NASA’s to-do list as the agency began launching the Space Shuttle in the early 1980s. After the moon landing, nobody seemed to care about space anymore; NASA’s budget took a hit and the country turned its attention elsewhere.

In the late 1970s, the US’s image was marred by the controversial Vietnam War, and its government looked to NASA to fix it. The idea was to fly citizens on the Shuttle to inspire the public and return America to its former, moon-landing-level glory. The PR strategy backfired tragically in 1986, when the crew of the Challenger – including citizen school teacher Christa McAuliffe – were killed in an explosion during ascent. The publicity of the event had created an intense pressure to launch, causing officials to overlook an issue with the vehicle.

The disaster led to a two-year pause in the program, but did not scare non-astronauts away from spaceflight. The Shuttle flew several more amateurs, including then-congressman Bill Nelson, who happened to sit on the committee overseeing NASA’s budget. However, it was the Soviet Union who laid the groundwork for modern-day space tourism.

In 1990, crippled by the failing economy, the Soviet space agency gladly accepted payment, an estimated US $35 million, to be exact, from Tokyo Broadcasting Station (TBS). A reporter from the station, Toyohiro Akiyama, then launched to the Mir station for a seven-day stay, aboard a Soyuz rocket plastered with sponsors’ logos. 

In 2001, space tourism as we know it took flight with Dennis Tito. The American businessman paid space tourism company Space Adventures US $20 million to broker a deal with Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, to allow him to ride a Soyuz to the fledgling International Space Station (ISS) alongside two career cosmonauts. Despite some protests from NASA, he succeeded, marking the start of a new age of commercial spaceflight. 

What Are Space Travel Companies

Space Adventures, who arranged another eight tourism flights with Roscosmos, is just one example of a space travel company. These firms can take many forms, but are defined by their mission to take humans into space. Some, like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, specialize in launching tourists into suborbital space to experience zero gravity for just a few minutes. Others liaise between the customer, agencies like Roscosmos or NASA, and contractors like SpaceX to organize touristic trips to the ISS. Others still look to provide a pleasant accommodation in orbit, and are planning stations that would put Earthly five-star hotels to shame.

Top 6 Space Travel Companies

Here are six companies for those planning a trip away from Earth to look out for – and by providing increased access to space, some of them might change our world, too.

Axiom Space

Axiom has its fingers in many space-related pies, including building a space station and designing NASA’s lunar spacesuits. One of its most popular services, however, is arranging flights to the ISS for private clients at US $55 million a pop. Despite costing US $150 billion to build, the station is not known for its luxurious amenities; its interior is cramped, messy, loud, and can smell like a toilet. Any other hotel would get crucified on Tripadvisor, but on the ISS, the views make up for it. 

Axiom’s service is popular with philanthropists as well as countries without a large-scale space program such as Saudi Arabia, since the process is similar to that of governmental missions. After a training period, three amateurs and one experienced astronaut launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and spend a week or so aboard the ISS conducting various kinds of research and outreach.

So far, the company has only one mission under its belt, wherein one career astronaut and three businessmen flew to the station in April last year. A second mission is scheduled for this spring, and two more are in the pipeline after that. Tickets are already selling like hotcakes, and candidates might even have to take part in a reality show to garner one.  

Visit company’s profile page .

Blue Origin

Blue Origin is among the more prolific companies on this list, having completed six crewed tourism flights using its suborbital New Shepard rocket. The trips are quick and painless: after two days of training, up to six people sit in a capsule atop the booster and gaze out of the windows as the rocket ascends to over 100 km in altitude. The booster then separates from the capsule and lands itself while the capsule lingers for a few minutes, during which the passengers experience weightlessness. The capsule then parachutes down, the whole experience lasting only around 11 minutes. 

Prices appear to be eyewatering, though Blue keeps mum about exact numbers. The 2018 plan was to sell seats at US $200,000 to US $300,000 apiece, but one ticket was reportedly auctioned off at US $28 million. As for when the next flight will be, details are unclear. The rocket has been grounded since a booster suffered an anomaly during an uncrewed flight in September last year, but the company hopes to fly again by the end of this year.

Along with its suborbital tourism hops, Blue is developing a reusable heavy-life rocket – New Glenn – as well as Orbital Reef, an orbital business-park-meets-tourism-destination partly funded by NASA . The station, which is expected to become operational in 2027, is a joint venture with Sierra Space, whose Dream Chaser spaceplane could become important to future touristic ventures. Sierra has also implemented an astronaut training program, which would train not only those aiming to work in space, but also ‘experiential astronauts’ who just want to see the sights. 

Virgin Galactic 

Virgin Galactic offers a simple, no-frills journey to the edge of space. Its vehicle consists of two parts: a carrier plane and a spaceplane. VMS Eve, a twin-fuselage jet, carries VSS Unity, a suborbital spaceplane, to an altitude of around 80 km. This is the United States’ definition of space, as opposed to the internationally-recognized boundary of 100 km, the Kármán line. One flight takes 90 minutes, including about four minutes of weightlessness, and costs US $450,000 (upped in 2021 from the previous price of US $250,000). 

Virgin Galactic has had somewhat of a rough ride; founder Branson had hoped to have launched 50,000 passengers by 2019, but instead found himself a grand total of four – including himself – at the time of writing (excluding pilots and copilots). A disastrous 2014 test run killed a pilot, and after Branson’s own 2021 flight, the vehicles were described as ‘rickety’. They were subsequently grounded, and the company was hit by a series of hefty lawsuits. Though since cleared to fly, the company is still working on getting the spaceplane up to scratch, with no exact launch dates forecast yet.

Being an adrenaline junkie is not a prerequisite for spaceflight – just ask Worldview. The company aims to employ high-altitude balloons to offer a gentle, hours-long trip to the edge of space. Founded in 2012, Worldview specializes in remote-sensing balloons, but is venturing into tourism with its Explorer capsule. The luxurious pressurized craft comes complete with enormous windows, ‘plush, fully reclining seating for eight’, in-flight dining, a telescope, a concierge, and, of course, high-speed Wi-Fi. 

Over the course of two hours, a balloon lifts the capsule up to about 30 km. The craft hangs here for a few hours, allowing passengers to soak in the views. Descent takes another hour, after which a parasail deploys from the capsule, resulting in a smooth touchdown. 

A ticket will cost US $50,000, making Worldview’s service among the cheapest in the business. The comparatively low cost and gentle flight mean more people can partake in the venture, in line with the company’s aim “to give as many humans as possible the chance to see our planet from unprecedented new heights,” as CEO Ryan Hartman said in a statement. Worldview is accepting deposits for flights taking off from a variety of locations, including the Serengeti and the great pyramids of Giza, with the first trips to take place in 2024. 

Space Perspective, a company established by two Worldview cofounders in 2019, offers a similar service, with one major difference: a price tag of US $125,000. Its flights are also scheduled to start in 2024.

Visit company’s profile page.

Orbital Assembly 

Orbital Assembly’s Voyager Station, a planned luxury hotel in orbit, is likely the ritziest project listed here. It will accommodate up to 400 guests, and rotations of the station should produce ‘varying levels of artificial gravity’, a process never before implemented in space. A three-and-a-half-day stay aboard the station would cost a cool US $5 million, according to the company’s former chief executive, John Blincow. 

Guests will get much bang for their buck: spacewalks, food prepared by out-of-this-world chefs, and live music are all part of the experience. “We want to have Sting come up and play, and Beyoncé… there’ll be two shows every night. That’s part of the entertainment package,’ Blincow says. 

The company aims for the hotel to open its doors – or airlocks – by the end of the decade. To bridge the gap, Orbital Assembly is planning another smaller orbital hotel and research outpost: Pioneer Station. This will not be as all-out luxurious as Voyager and could only host 28 people, but might be operational as soon as 2025.

SpaceX is not a tourism company, but deserves a place on this list as it has launched more people into space than any venture mentioned above. The trusty Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket frequently shuttle people to and from the ISS, and the company’s system of vertical integration and partial reusability have drastically driven price down. In addition, being a private company as opposed to a government agency, reduces the bureaucratic headache for its customers, and increases access to space.

Case in point for this are 2021’s Inspiration4 and the upcoming Polaris missions, which are funded by American billionaire Jared Isaacman. He paid less than US $200 million for himself and three others to orbit the Earth for three days onboard the Crew Dragon; nobody onboard had been to space before. Launching customers using the Falcon/Dragon combo is also Axiom’s method of choice. SpaceX’s newest rocket, the still-prototypical Starship, has already been booked by Isaacman and Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa for future trips, again with non-professional crews. 

While billionaire-funded trips to space might not scream accessibility, a private, bookable spacecraft like Dragon opens space up to an entirely new audience. Budget-bound government entities are no longer the sole providers of launches, and passengers need not be hardcore astronauts. Without private launch firms, ordinary people like the Inspiration4 crew, which included an ex-cancer patient, might never get to experience space.

Cost of Space Travel

As seen with the examples above, space travel is pretty pricey, though it used to cost much more. These days, a Falcon 9 launch costs about US $67 million. While hefty, it’s a bargain compared to the US $450 million for a Space Shuttle mission. The hardware, fuel, logistics, and several other factors can drive costs through the roof, but breakthroughs in technology, such as reusability, have led to much more competitive pricing. 

Specifically, high costs are often caused by the hardships of sending someone into orbit, not to mention returning them safely. An incredible amount of energy is needed for a craft to reach orbital velocity, which means bigger rockets, more fuel, and more money. On the flipside, objects hailing from orbit reenter Earth’s atmosphere at incredible speeds. Reentry heat increases by the cube of velocity, resulting in scorching temperatures of around 1,500 °C that the spacecraft somehow needs to survive. Suborbital trips are not uncomplicated, but are a picnic in comparison, so these tend to come cheaper. 

Will Space Tourism Become Afordable Any Time Soon?

It is unlikely that a hop to space will become as affordable as a weekend at the beach in the near future, but it has come a long way. A century ago, airplanes were still somewhat of a novelty, and just over twenty years have passed since the first tourist flew to space. While a new rise in spaceflight has led to a swathe of tourism ventures crawling out of the woodwork, most of these are still in their infancy. Once the growing pains have passed, their customers will likely remain rich – but perhaps not as rich as once imagined. 

Take airplanes as a guideline. A coast-to-coast roundtrip cost US $260 in 1917, translating to US $6,652 in 2023. Today, a quick search of a budget airline’s flights will show prices as low as US $83 for the same trip: a 98.8% decrease. Apply this drastic development to spaceflight, and a US $450,000 spin on Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane may cost as little as US $5,615 in the distant future. Even today, SpaceX’s US $67 million per launch already signifies a roughly 85% drop compared to the Shuttle’s US $450 million, so the trend is already well underway.

Final Verdict

Space tourism is easily dismissed as a ditzy venture for the rich. But while this is not untrue, it also creates something incredibly important to manned spaceflight: demand. Satellites and scientific probes are a goldmine to governments and private companies alike and are now relatively easy to launch, but sending people is dangerous and often not worth the risk. 

Tourism changes this. Demand for access to space, cheaper launches, and even orbital hotels push technology forward, which can help bring about scientific breakthroughs. Stations like Orbital Reef are a key example of this, coupling government contracts with demand for tourism, research, and even manufacturing to finance itself. Touristic demand could even help fuel space colonization. SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk has suggested offering US $100,000-tickets – return included – to people wanting to experience life on Mars. 

Above all, though, tourism will allow more people to experience space. Even if this remains its only achievement, that alone might make it worthwhile.

Featured image: Space Shuttle Atlantis. Credit: NASA

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The   future   of   space   travel   is   here  

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Introducing Spaceship Neptune—the safest, most accessible, and first carbon-neutral human spaceflight experience. Redefining the category of space travel, ours is the largest spaceflight capsule in existence.

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Explorers enjoy Wi-Fi, a world-class culinary program, plush safety seating, luxury amenities, and panoramic views through the largest windows ever flown to space—even a proper restroom (the Space Spa).

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Our world record-holding team have been instrumental in the development of every US human spacecraft for the past 40 years, including every human space balloon flight.

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The UK's first space tourism travel agency has opened - and it's a world first

Holiday in space anyone? This can be your chance to book a stratospheric and unique trip.

To infinity and beyond! The world's first tourism agency that wants to send you to space now has a terrestrial settlement - and it's in the United Kingdom.

Launched by London-based RocketBreaks , the agency has a full service to offer to prospective travellers, including coordinating flights, accommodation, meals and dedicated training programmes to be in space.

The package also includes day trips into space, weightlessness experiences and the chance to board on the Aurora Station.

• The first hotel in space could be open for business sooner than you think

Sky is no longer the limit

Fed up with 5 star hotels? What if you could enjoy a room with a view... of over a million stars? That's the aim of the Aurora Station, the first luxury hotel currently being built for the sole purpose of space accommodation.

The California-based aerospace company Orion Span is behind the idea, with Aurora Station scheduled to open in 2022. The luxury space hotel has been developed to orbit the Earth, and will be able to accommodate four guests and two crew for a 12-day holiday.

There, you will be able to witness the sunrise 16 times a day, and see land and oceans from a whole new perspective.

• In pictures: NASA's top Earth photographs of 2020

Astronauts commonly talk about the ‘overview effect’, which offers the world on a silver plate and allows people to see the Earth as a whole.

Travelling to space will undoubtedly change your perspective.

But Aurora Station is not the only possible destination. Companies such as SpaceX are also developing opportunities for Mars travel.

• What a mission to Mars can teach us about protecting planet Earth

How can you book your travel?

First, you will need to join one of the training centres in partnership with RocketBreaks, in order to enhance your body to optimal conditions for space travel.

Future space tourists can join RocketBreaks' waitlist to be one of the first to contact when reservations open.

“Without a doubt, space is the future of the travel industry,” RocketBreaks' founder David Doughty says.

“We have seen a gap in the market, and by entering early, we aim to make RocketBreaks one of the most respected agencies in the space travel world, " he adds.

"We know for sure that there is enough excitement and demand for space travel, whether on a day trip, to experience the absence of gravity, to see the world from a completely new way, or to stay in space."

Voir cette publication sur Instagram Une publication partagée par Euronews Travel (@euronewstravel)

Virgin Galactic , founded by Sir Richard Branson, is expected to enter commercial service in 2022, with its founder planning to make the first flight at the end of 2021.

The company recently announced the development of more spacecraft, in addition to them.

As for the COVID-19 pass, nothing has been specified so far.

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The Future of Space Tourism Is Now. Well, Not Quite.

From zero-pressure balloon trips to astronaut boot camps, reservations for getting off the planet — or pretending to — are skyrocketing. The prices, however, are still out of this world.

By Debra Kamin

Ilida Alvarez has dreamed of traveling to space since she was a child. But Ms. Alvarez, a legal-mediation firm owner, is afraid of flying, and she isn’t a billionaire — two facts that she was sure, until just a few weeks ago, would keep her fantasy as out of reach as the stars. She was wrong.

Ms. Alvarez, 46, and her husband, Rafael Landestoy, recently booked a flight on a 10-person pressurized capsule that — attached to a massive helium-filled balloon — will gently float to 100,000 feet while passengers sip champagne and recline in ergonomic chairs. The reservation required a $500 deposit; the flight itself will cost $50,000 and last six to 12 hours.

“I feel like it was tailor-made for the chickens like me who don’t want to get on a rocket,” said Ms. Alvarez, whose flight, organized by a company called World View , is scheduled to depart from the Grand Canyon in 2024.

Less than a year after Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson kicked off a commercial space race by blasting into the upper atmosphere within weeks of each other last summer, the global space tourism market is skyrocketing, with dozens of companies now offering reservations for everything from zero-pressure balloon trips to astronaut boot camps and simulated zero-gravity flights. But don’t don your spacesuit just yet. While the financial services company UBS estimates the space travel market will be worth $3 billion by 2030, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to approve most out-of-this-world trips, and construction has not started on the first space hotel. And while access and options — not to mention launchpads — are burgeoning, space tourism remains astronomically expensive for most.

First, what counts as space travel?

Sixty miles (about 100 kilometers) above our heads lies the Kármán line, the widely accepted aeronautical boundary of the earth’s atmosphere. It’s the boundary used by the Féderátion Aéronautique Internationale, which certifies and controls global astronautical records. But many organizations in the United States, including the F.A.A. and NASA, define everything above 50 miles to be space.

Much of the attention has been focused on a trio of billionaire-led rocket companies: Mr. Bezos’ Blue Origin , whose passengers have included William Shatner; Mr. Branson’s Virgin Galactic , where tickets for a suborbital spaceflight start at $450,000; and Elon Musk’s SpaceX , which in September launched an all-civilian spaceflight, with no trained astronauts on board. Mr. Branson’s inaugural Virgin Galactic flight in 2021 reached about 53 miles, while Blue Origin flies above the 62-mile mark. Both are eclipsed by SpaceX, whose rockets charge far deeper in to the cosmos, reaching more than 120 miles above Earth.

Balloons, like those operated by World View, don’t go nearly as high. But even at their maximum altitude of 18 or 19 miles, operators say they float high enough to show travelers the curvature of the planet, and give them a chance to experience the overview effect — an intense perspective shift that many astronauts say kicks in when you view Earth from above.

Now, how to get there …

Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, which are both licensed for passenger space travel by the F.A.A., are open for ticket sales. (Blue Origin remains mum on pricing.) Both companies currently have hundreds or even thousands of earthlings on their wait lists for a whirl to the edge of space. SpaceX charges tens of millions of dollars for its further-reaching flights and is building a new facility in Texas that is currently under F.A.A. review.

Craig Curran is a major space enthusiast — he’s held a reserved seat on a Virgin Galactic flight since 2011 — and the owner of Deprez Travel in Rochester, N.Y. The travel agency has a special space travel arm, Galactic Experiences by Deprez , through which Mr. Curran sells everything from rocket launch tickets to astronaut training.

Sales in the space tourism space, Mr. Curran acknowledges, “are reasonably difficult to make,” and mostly come from peer-to-peer networking. “You can imagine that people who spend $450,000 to go to space probably operate in circles that are not the same as yours and mine,” he said.

Some of Mr. Curran’s most popular offerings include flights where you can experience the same stomach-dropping feeling of zero gravity that astronauts feel in space, which he arranges for clients via chartered, specialized Boeing 727s that are flown in parabolic arcs to mimic being in space. Operators including Zero G also offer the service; the cost is around $8,200.

You can almost count the number of completed space tourist launches on one hand — Blue Origin has had four; SpaceX, two. Virgin Galactic, meanwhile, on Thursday announced the launch of its commercial passenger service, previously scheduled for late 2022, was delayed until early 2023. Many of those on waiting lists are biding their time before blastoff by signing up for training. Axiom Space, which contracts with SpaceX, currently offers NASA-partnered training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. Virgin Galactic, which already offers a “customized Future Astronaut Readiness program” at its Spaceport America facility in New Mexico, is also partnering with NASA to build a training program for private astronauts.

Would-be space tourists should not expect the rigor that NASA astronauts face. Training for Virgin Galactic’s three-hour trips is included in the cost of a ticket and lasts a handful of days; it includes pilot briefings and being “fitted for your bespoke Under Armour spacesuit and boots,” according to its website.

Not ready for a rocket? Balloon rides offer a less hair-raising celestial experience.

“We go to space at 12 miles an hour, which means that it’s very smooth and very gentle. You’re not rocketing away from earth,” said Jane Poynter, a co-founder and co-chief executive of Space Perspective , which is readying its own touristic balloon spaceship, Spaceship Neptune. If all goes according to plan, voyages are scheduled to begin departing from Florida in 2024, at a cost of $125,000 per person. That’s a fraction of the price tag for Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, but still more than double the average annual salary of an American worker.

Neither Space Perspective nor World View has the required approval yet from the F.A.A. to operate flights.

Unique implications

Whether a capsule or a rocket is your transport, the travel insurance company battleface launched a civilian space insurance plan in late 2021, a direct response, said chief executive Sasha Gainullin, to an increase in space tourism interest and infrastructure. Benefits include accidental death and permanent disablement in space and are valid for spaceflights on operators like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, as well as on stratospheric balloon rides. They’ve had many inquiries, Mr. Gainullin said, but no purchases just yet.

“Right now it’s such high-net-worth individuals who are traveling to space, so they probably don’t need insurance,” he said. “But for quote-unquote regular travelers, I think we’ll see some takeups soon.”

And as the industry grows, so perhaps will space travel’s impact on the environment. Not only do rocket launches have immense carbon footprints, even some stratospheric balloon flights have potentially significant implications: World View’s balloons are powered by thousands of cubic meters of helium, which is a limited resource . But Ted Parson, a professor of environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that space travel’s environmental impact is still dwarfed by civil aviation. And because space travel is ultra-niche, he believes it’s likely to stay that way.

“Despite extensive projections, space tourism is likely to remain a tiny fraction of commercial space exploration,” he said. “It reminds me of tourism on Mt. Everest. It’s the indulgence of very rich people seeking a transcendent, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the local environmental burden is intense.”

Stay a while?

In the future, space enthusiasts insist, travelers won’t be traveling to space just for the ride. They’ll want to stay a while. Orbital Assembly Corporation, a manufacturing company whose goal is to colonize space, is currently building the world’s first space hotels — two ring-shaped properties that will orbit Earth, called Pioneer Station and Voyager Station. The company, quite optimistically, projects an opening date of 2025 for Pioneer Station, with a capacity of 28 guests. The design for the larger Voyager Station , which they say will open in 2027, promises villas and suites, as well as a gym, restaurant and bar. Both provide the ultimate luxury: simulated gravity. Axiom Space , a space infrastructure company, is currently building the world’s first private space station; plans include Philippe Starck-designed accommodations for travelers to spend the night.

Joshua Bush, chief executive of travel agency Avenue Two Travel , has sold a handful of seats on upcoming Virgin Galactic flights to customers. The market for space travel (and the sky-high prices that come with it), he believes, will evolve much like civilian air travel did.

“In the beginning of the 20th century, only very affluent people could afford to fly,” he said. “Just as we have Spirit and Southwest Airlines today, there will be some sort of equivalent of that in space travel, too. Hopefully within my lifetime.”

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What’s Up in Space and Astronomy

Keep track of things going on in our solar system and all around the universe..

Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other 2024 event  that’s out of this world with  our space and astronomy calendar .

Scientists working with NASA’s Perseverance rover state emphatically that they are not claiming to have discovered life on Mars. But they are very excited about what they found on this rock .

When a NASA spacecraft passes over Shackleton Crater on the moon and peers in, it sees a sea of blackness and nothing more. Take a look at the moon’s most shadowy places .

With the Falcon 9 rocket set to fly again and testing of the Starliner capsule progressing, NASA is seeking to turn the page  on a brief, troubled chapter in orbit.

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Travel Lounge to open on Washington Avenue next month

Located in the downtown space that previously housed The Sliced Pint, the travel-inspired restaurant will offer food and drink flights, in addition to sharing space with the owners' travel agency.

by Amy De La Hunt

August 6, 2024

Courtesy of Travel Lounge

Photo by George Mahe

Travel agency owner Dee Dorsey and her husband, Cartez “Tez” Dorsey, are planning a new type of travel-inspired destination for St. Louis diners. The couple plans to open  Travel Lounge  at 1511 Washington , in the space that previously housed The Sliced Pint, in late September. The restaurant will provide customers of Dorsey's travel agency,  DeeLuxe Vacation , with a spot to review travel plans, as well as an option for those just looking to enjoy food and drink flights. Here’s what to know before you go.

Travel Lounge will offer flights of such dishes as tacos and toasted ravioli, along with Asian-inspired fare and St. Louis favorites. With the kitchen already having a large pizza oven from the space's predecessor, Dorsey added pizzas to the concept as well. Chef Dominique Crawford—Dorsey’s longtime collaborator on brunches, catered events, and meals for group cabin trips—will serve as the kitchen manager.

The beverage menu will also offer flights from around the world, inspired by such destinations as the Caribbean islands, Mexico, and wine country. Specialty drinks include the Palm Tree Breeze Freeze, (which comes in a souvenir palm tree cup), a house-made piña colada, an island punch with fresh pineapple, and the Road-Trip Rocky (a cocktail of lemonade vodka and pink lemonade garnished with Pop Rocks candy). Once the restaurant's liquor license is finalized, Travel Lounge will also offer a full bar with beers on tap, wines by the glass, and shots.

The Atmosphere

The multi-story location on Washington Avenue allows Dorsey to expand the scope of her businesses while bringing them under one roof. 

The ground-floor restaurant space has high ceilings, rich wood décor, and teal-colored accents reminiscent of the ocean. The interior features photo-ops along the walls, travel-themed neon lights, and booths decorated with colorful world maps. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and for midday brunch on Sunday.

The second floor includes a VIP room with a projector where Dorsey and her team can show trip photos to groups who are booking with DeeLuxe Vacations. It also houses an event space and the travel agency’s offices, where restaurant customers can book a trip.

The second-floor event space at Travel Lounge overlooks Washington Ave.

The Travel Lounge is located near Windows on Washington, which recently announced its closure. Dorsey and her team have since received a flurry of inquiries for the event space. At the same time, Dorsey is planning special events, including a kid-friendly, Barbie-themed brunch on September 1.

The Background

Dee and Cartez “Tez” Dorsey

Dorsey noticed that travel agency clients who were planning trips often wanted to get together with family and friends to talk through decisions in person. “There is a need for people to get together and coordinate, rather than doing group texts or messages,” Dorsey says. “I’ve been looking for the right spot for this concept for about three years.”

Dorsey, who plans to offer group trips through DeeLuxe Vacations, says restaurant patrons will be able to peruse a destination menu at their tables. Servers will be versed in frequently asked questions, but customers will need to go upstairs to the travel agency to book trips. 

Asked whether there’s a peak season for booking travel, Dorsey says, “People book all year round, but I feel our Travel Lounge will be busy in the summer, with being so close to City Museum.” She also feels upbeat about adding a unique downtown destination. “There are other travel-themed bars and restaurants, but none like this.”

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See the Paris Olympic Games from SPACE with incredible interactive map

• The European Space Agency (ESA) has released a satellite image of Paris
• To explore the venues and landmarks, simply click on the circles 

Over the course of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a whopping 15.3 million visitors are expected to flock to Paris to catch a piece of the sporting action. 

If you're stuck at home, watching the games from your TV, we have good news for you.

There's now a way for you to see the Olympic Games from a completely new angle!

The European Space Agency (ESA) has released an incredible interactive map , which shows Paris from above. 

'This striking high-resolution image offers an in-depth view of central Paris, allowing you to explore and zoom into the city's most captivating areas in exceptional detail,' ESA explained. 

The map shows Paris from above, with the Seine River clearly visible winding through the image. 

With a 30cm resolution, enough detail can be seen to identify some of the city's world-famous landmarks, as well as several Olympic venues. 

To explore the venues and landmarks, simply click on the small, white circles. 

This will cause the map to zoom in and provide further detail on each site. 

Once you're finished, simply click on the circle again, or scroll out to explore other sites.  

At the top of the map, two permanent venues constructed for the Olympic Games can be seen - the Stade de France, and the Aquatics Centre to its left. 

Towards the centre-left of the map, the Arc de Triomphe can easily be spotted, standing at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle. 

Heading south from there, the rectangular Champ de Mars - where two temporary arenas have been built - can be seen, just across the river. 

At its northern end, the iconic Eiffel Tower is visible, casting its shadow northwest.  

Meanwhile, to the northeast lies the Hôtel des Invalides - a complex that is home to museums and monuments related to French military history, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for veterans. 

'On its north side is the Esplanade des Invalides, a vast open-air green space that will serve, among other activities, as the marathon finish line during the Olympics,' ESA explained. 

Finally, towards the eastern end of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées are the Grand Palais and Place de la Concorde, which have both been transformed into Olympic venues. 

'The famous Jardin des Tuileries and the grounds of the sprawling Musée du Louvre are visible immediately to the left,' ESA added. 

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Boeing's Starliner astronauts could return on SpaceX capsule in Feb 2025, NASA says

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Scientists obtain deepest rock sample from Earth's mantle

Scientists using an ocean drilling vessel have dug the deepest hole ever in rock from Earth's mantle - penetrating 4,160 feet (1,268 meters) below the Atlantic seabed - and obtained a large sample that is offering clues about our planet's most voluminous layer.