Blue Orient rocket company starts selling tickets for space tourism.

On May 5th, Blue Origin, the rocket company, announced that it is ready to begin selling tickets for space tourism in low Earth orbit, as American companies strive to usher in a new era of private commercial space travel.

As planned, passengers will be able to travel into space aboard the New Shepard spacecraft. Blue Origin will announce details on how to purchase tickets, ticket prices, and the date of the first flight.

Previously, in 2018, Reuters reported that Blue Origin expected ticket prices to be at least $200,000 per trip. Meanwhile, according to a Blue Origin employee working in the pricing department, the company planned to sell space tourism tickets for between $200,000 and $300,000. Another employee stated that the minimum price would be $200,000.

The New Shepard spacecraft is designed to carry six passengers to low Earth orbit, at an altitude of over 100 km above Earth, high enough for tourists to experience a few minutes of weightless space travel. With six windows nearly three times larger than those on a Boeing Co. 747 jet, passengers can enjoy panoramic views of outer space.

Not only Blue Origin, but also its rival Virgin Galactic, owned by billionaire Richard Branson, aims to take passengers into space in early 2022 following Branson's first flight later this year.

Virgin Galactic stated that the expected price for each trip is over $250,000, but has not yet announced the official price. The company will begin selling tickets after Branson's flight.

Huyen Chau