According to recent reports from state media, CAS Space, a prominent Chinese commercial space enterprise, disclosed plans for its "space tourism vehicle," slated to conduct its inaugural flight in 2027, with a journey to the edge of space scheduled for 2028.
Shortly after this announcement, Blue Origin, backed by Jeff Bezos, unveiled plans to recommence operations of its New Shepard Rocket, which serves both cargo and human flights to the edge of space. This development marks the conclusion of an almost two-year hiatus in crewed operations.
Tourist Cabin
CAS Space elaborated that their vehicle will boast a tourist cabin outfitted with four panoramic windows, designed to accommodate up to seven passengers per flight. The company envisions launching trips every 100 hours from a newly erected aerospace theme park, deploying ten vehicles to ferry tourists to the edge of space in a rotational manner.
Tickets
Reports from state media indicate that tickets for each voyage will be priced between 2 million and 3 million yuan ($415,127) per person.
Established in 2018 and headquartered in Guangzhou, CAS Space enjoys the backing of China's preeminent state research institution, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, serving as its second-largest shareholder.
In recent years, China's space exploration endeavor has made significant strides, closing the gap with the United States. The recent launch of the Chang'e-6 mission positions China on the brink of a groundbreaking achievement: becoming the first nation to retrieve samples from the far side of the moon.
The launch event attracted throngs of tourists to the launch site in Hainan, China's island province. In the lead-up to the blast-off, tens of thousands of spectators converged at various viewing vantage points near the launch site, leading to considerable traffic congestion.