Rocket company Blue Origin said on May 5 that it was ready to sell tickets for low-Earth orbit space tourism as US companies strive to usher in a new era of private commercial space travel.
Passengers are expected to travel to space on the New Shepard spacecraft. Blue Origin will announce details on how to buy tickets, ticket prices and the time of the first flight.
Inside the New Shepard spacecraft. Source: Blue Origin.
In 2018, Reuters reported that Blue Origin expected tickets to cost at least $200,000 per trip. Meanwhile, according to a Blue Origin employee working in the pricing department, the company plans to open space tourism ticket sales in the range of $200,000-$300,000. Another employee said tickets will have a minimum price of $200,000.
The New Shepard spacecraft is designed to take six passengers into low-Earth orbit at an altitude of more than 100 km above Earth, high enough for tourists to experience a space tour lasting several minutes in a state of weightlessness. With six windows nearly three times higher than those on a Boeing Co 747 jetliner, passengers can enjoy panoramic views of outer space.
Not only Blue Origin, billionaire Richard Branson's rival Virgin Galactic also aims to send passengers into space in early 2022 after billionaire Branson's first flight later this year.
Virgin Galactic said the ticket price for each trip is expected to be more than $250,000 but has not yet announced an official price. The company will open ticket sales after Mr. Branson's flight.
