Virgin Galactic
Three days have passed and Giorgio Manenti still can’t find the words, can’t sleep, can’t process the thoughts and emotions of what he’s been through – any part of himself.
On June 8, Manenti headed into space as one of four crew members on Virgin Galactic’s seventh spaceflight. Since landing, he’s repeatedly reliving, revisiting and reevaluating his time in space. “You look out and you see nothing but darkness,” he says, searching for words. “Then you look up and there’s Earth, and the colors are vibrant and alive, and you see the thin blue layer of the atmosphere, the only thing that protects us from the endless void, and you realize how small and fragile we are. I wish everyone could experience that.”
That could be coming soon. Maybe not everyone, but more and more private citizens could be heading to space. After a pre-pandemic frenzy, when it seemed like celebrities were sprinting into space every other week, the space tourism industry is taking a breather. “It may look that way from the outside, but inside the industry people are working harder than ever,” says Ryan Hartman, CEO of World View.
Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity has conducted 11 space tourism flights, but has suspended flights to allow for the construction of its next-generation aircraft. Virgin Galactic
Those efforts are starting to pay off. In late May, Blue Origin, owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, flew its first mission after a two-year hiatus that saw it undergo FAA review, an engine redesign, and a series of safety-related changes. On June 6, Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully flew and landed Starship, a reusable spacecraft that will eventually carry humans into orbit, with longer-term plans to orbit the moon and head to Mars.
Balloon company Space Perspective has completed its capsule and will conduct a test flight this summer when the new mission control ship MS Voyager arrives, World View just opened an office in Australia, newcomer Zephthort has successfully tested a capsule, and EOS-X has announced it has secured $230 million in investment and plans to fly in 2025.
Real estate agent Giorgio Manenti is the face of the new Citizen Astronaut movement. “What’s incredible to me is that anyone can do this.” Virgin Galactic
“What’s incredible to me is that anyone can do this,” Manenti said. “I’m not an engineer or an astronaut. I’m a real estate agent, but I was fortunate enough to have this experience.”
Manenti was lucky: He applied to fly with Virgin a few years ago and was not only one of a few dozen people selected from thousands of applicants, but he also got to fly Unity’s final flight while the airline goes on a two-year hiatus to prepare a fleet of state-of-the-art planes, called Delta. “One plane is not a business, it’s a demonstrator,” Mike Moses, Virgin Galactic’s president of spacelines, told Robb Report. “Unity was our showcase product to show we had market fit, while Delta will be a production-level plane that’s cheaper, easier to maintain, and can fly repeatedly.”
The improvements also include changes to the structure and exterior materials to make it lighter, stronger and more heat-resistant. “It looks the same,” Moses says, “but we’re not studying the flight characteristics or how the systems work. Those are all proven. We’re just making it more durable and easier to maintain.”
SpaceX’s Starship is designed for longer space travel, with missions to orbit the Moon and eventually go to Mars. Getty Images
Reusable, fast-turnaround ships “are where the industry is headed,” Moses said. “Starship is a similar idea, Blue Origin is doing it.” Once Delta takes off, Virgin’s business plan calls for two flights a week, each with eight passengers, for about 725 flights a year.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard has launched 37 customers into space over seven flights, and the company has a “full schedule for the next few years,” said company spokeswoman Sarah Blask. The company is also developing a larger, liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft called New Glenn.
“New Glenn is a cornerstone of Blue Origin’s long-term vision,” Blask said. “The spacecraft will serve as the foundation for all of our programs, including delivering cargo and crew to the Moon.”
Blue Origin’s New Shepard has launched 37 customers into Earth orbit, and the company is working on an even larger, heavy-duty rocket called New Glenn.
Meanwhile, SpaceX continues to develop Starship, a gigantic cargo and passenger ship intended for trips to the Moon and eventually Mars. The latest test was the ship’s fourth, and the first in which both the main ship and the first-stage booster (Super Heavy) landed safely on water. The company did not respond to a request for comment, but engineers have said they plan to conduct four more tests this year. It’s unclear when Starship will start ferrying private citizens into space.
“Going into space is hard, so we’re all rooting for him,” Moses said. “Right now is the perfect time to do this, so we’re really excited.”
Zephthort’s space balloon looks at the curve of the Earth. Zephthort
If getting jolts of 3G isn’t your thing, there are at least five companies scrambling to ferry passengers to the stars in giant balloons attached to luxury pressurized capsules: two in the US (Space Perspective and World View), two in Spain (Halo and EOS-X), and one in France (Zephalto). While the rockets all rise more than 50 miles above the Earth’s surface, the balloons reach what’s known as the edge of space, about 20 miles above the surface.
“Functionally it’s the same experience. [as the rockets]”When Allen Eustace skydives from space, he was in a balloon and could see the blackness of space and the roundness of the Earth, but he said the speed gave him a better understanding of perspective and scale,” says Tabor McMillan, CEO of Space Perspectives.
Besides altitude, the main differences are speed, cost, and comfort. While rockets spend a few minutes in space, balloon travelers spend a few hours in the stratosphere. Flights usually take six hours from takeoff to landing. The cabin has space to move around, plush seats, toilets, food, a bar, and huge windows.
Most of the space balloons are similar in size but have different layouts.
While rocket flights can cost anywhere from $600,000 (Virgin Galactic) to possibly multiple times that (Blue Origin and SpaceX haven’t disclosed prices, but both have been reported to cost over $1 million), balloon flights average around $125,000 to $200,000, with World View estimating a price of $50,000, which is the lowest price in the industry.
“We believe experiences should be affordable,” World View’s Hartman says. “We want to make experiences available to as many people as possible. We’re a for-profit company, but our true purpose is to provide a pathway to life-changing experiences.”
More generally, Space Perspective’s McMillan said balloons “address a portion of the market that wouldn’t be able to travel otherwise.”
World View A conceptual diagram of the Earth as seen from a balloon flight. World View
Balloonists hope to differentiate themselves through amenities and experiences. Gourmet meals are a must; Space Perspective has enlisted Michelin-starred chef Rasmus Munch to create meals, and EOS-X includes three-star Michelin dining. Zephthart’s capsule can split into a two-person cocoon if needed.
The balloons, which no longer require the infrastructure required for rocket launches, will be launched from various locations around the world. World View will launch from one of seven exotic locations around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon rainforest, as part of its week-long journey. Space Perspective will launch from a ship in Florida before returning to the ocean.
There are other similarities: Both work with charities or operate independently to offer free or discounted trips to individuals who might not otherwise have the opportunity to fly. Both have sustainability programs in place, including offsets, use of green hydrogen or biodiesel, and recycling plans for the giant balloons, which in most cases can only be used once, although Zephraert says their balloons can be reused up to 10 times.
SpaceX developed the spacesuit to conduct the first commercial spacewalk during the Polaris Dawn mission.
Finally, none of the five airlines are yet operating passenger flights. Four of the five plan to start operations in 2025, while Worldview is aiming for 2026.
“We’re providing an innovative way to get into space,” McMillan said, “bringing in people who don’t want to get on a rocket or don’t have the money to do so, broadening the appeal of the entire space ecosystem.”
