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Space Tourism

"The manifest for humanity's most exclusive travel market."

Space Tourism Tracker — Commercial Spaceflight & Travel Procurement

The Tourism page tracks every active program, regulation, and procurement shaping commercial human spaceflight, from orbital missions and suborbital vehicles to lunar tourism concepts and space hotel development. Browse active tourism-related solicitations, follow the orbital tourism market, or explore regulatory developments. For the full ranked view across all destinations, visit the 2026 tracker. For real-time bid updates, watch the live ABOI feed.

Latest Analysis

EDITORIAL STEM

BLUE ORIGIN / VIRGINopen

The Suborbital Reset | Blue Origin Pauses, Virgin Galactic Doubles Down

Market reset2026 restart

Blue Origin paused New Shepard for at least two years to chase Blue Moon, just as Virgin Galactic retired Unity and bet everything on the Delta-class. The suborbital market resets around who actually flies in 2026.

EDITORIAL STEM

AXIOM / NASAopen

Axiom's Cadence | Four Missions Down, Ax-5 in 2027

~$55M/seatAx-5 in 2027

Four private missions to the ISS, with Ax-5 booked for 2027. Axiom is building the repeatable cadence that turns private astronaut flight from a stunt into a service, and a bridge to its own station.

EDITORIAL STEM

SPACEX / PRIVATEopen

Polaris | The Privately Funded Path to a Starship EVA

Privately fundedMissions 2-3

Jared Isaacman's privately funded program flew the first commercial spacewalk on Polaris Dawn. Missions 2 and 3 are pending, with the finale meant to be the first crewed Starship flight.

EDITORIAL STEM

VASTopen

Vast Haven-1 | Tourism's First Purpose-Built Destination

$1B+ investedLaunch 2026-27

The first commercial station built with tourism as a revenue line, not an afterthought. A planned artificial-gravity spin test makes it the most ambitious destination on the near manifest.

EDITORIAL STEM

FAA / CONGRESSopen

The 2028 Cliff | When the FAA Can Finally Regulate Passenger Safety

RegulatoryExpires Jan 2028

The FAA's informed-consent moratorium expires January 1, 2028, after which the agency can finally regulate occupant safety. Operators have two years before the rules they have avoided become real.

EDITORIAL STEM

WORLD VIEWopen

Balloon Class | World View and the $50K Edge of Space

$50K/seatDevelopment

A pressurized capsule under a stratospheric balloon reaches the edge of space at the lowest price point in the market. The bet that the experience, not the altitude, is what people will pay for.

EDITORIAL STEM

SPACEXopen

dearMoon's Ghost | What Killed the Decade's Biggest Tourism Bet

CancelledLessons

Maezawa's dearMoon circumlunar flight collapsed before it flew, and the schedule was the killer. What the decade's biggest tourism bet reveals about booking trips on vehicles that do not exist yet.

EDITORIAL STEM

SPACEX / PRIVATEopen

Circumlunar | Dennis Tito's Long Wait for Starship

TBDStarship-gated

Dennis Tito is still booked for a flight around the Moon, contingent entirely on Starship earning a crew rating. The long wait that shows how tourism timelines track vehicle development, not demand.

EDITORIAL STEM

INTLopen

The Regulatory Patchwork | No Country Agrees on Who's Liable

FragmentedNo framework

No international framework governs space tourism safety or liability. A patchwork across the US, UK, UAE, and Australia leaves operators and passengers guessing about who answers when something goes wrong.

Active RFPs

REG-2028-FAA-OCST

FAAopen

FAA Occupant Safety Regulation | Post-Moratorium Rulemaking

RegulatoryExpires Jan 1, 2028

FAA informed consent moratorium expires January 1, 2028. SpARC final report delivered April 2025 provides basis for future rulemaking on commercial spaceflight occupant safety.

SOL-2026-NASA-PAM-AX5

NASAopen

Axiom Private Astronaut Mission Ax-5 | ISS Access

~$55M/seatDue Mar 1, 2027

Axiom Space fifth private astronaut mission to ISS. ~$55M per seat via SpaceX Crew Dragon. Four prior missions completed successfully.

SOL-2026-VG-DELTA

FAAopen

Virgin Galactic Delta-class | FAA Launch License Application

$600K/seatDue Dec 1, 2026

Virgin Galactic seeking FAA launch license for Delta-class suborbital vehicle. SpaceShipTwo Unity retired. Higher flight rate and lower per-seat cost targeting $600K.

Orbital Tourism

PROGRAM TRACKER

AXIOMOperational

Axiom Private Astronaut Missions

~$55M/seat4 missions complete; Ax-5 in 2027

Leading orbital tourism operator with 4 completed ISS missions. Axiom-5 targeting 2027. Platform for private astronaut access via SpaceX Crew Dragon.

PROGRAM TRACKER

SPACEXIn Development

Polaris Program (Missions 2 & 3)

Privately fundedMission 1 complete; 2-3 pending

Jared Isaacman's privately funded program. Polaris Dawn (Mission 1) completed the first commercial EVA. Missions 2-3 pending, culminating in first Starship crewed flight.

Suborbital

PROGRAM TRACKER

BLUE ORIGINPaused

New Shepard Suborbital Tourism

~$200-300K/seatPaused ~2 years

Suborbital tourism vehicle paused approximately 2 years as Blue Origin redirects resources to Blue Moon lunar lander. Return to flight timeline uncertain.

PROGRAM TRACKER

VIRGIN GALACTICTransitioning

Virgin Galactic Delta-class

$600K/seatUnity retired; Delta expected 2026

SpaceShipTwo Unity retired after limited commercial flights. Delta-class vehicle in development targeting higher flight rate and lower per-seat cost.

PROGRAM TRACKER

WORLD VIEWIn Development

Stratospheric Balloon Tourism

$50K/seatDevelopment phase

Pressurized capsule carried by stratospheric balloon to ~100,000 ft. Most accessible price point in the space tourism market at $50K per seat.

Lunar Tourism

PROGRAM TRACKER

SPACEXIn Development

Starship Circumlunar Tourism

TBDContingent on Starship crew-rating

Dennis Tito booked for circumlunar flight. Timeline contingent on Starship achieving crew-rating certification. dearMoon (Maezawa) cancelled June 2024.

Hotels & Habitats

PROGRAM TRACKER

VASTIn Development

Vast Haven-1 (Tourism Module)

$1B+ investedLaunch May 2026

First commercial space station with tourism as a revenue stream. First artificial gravity spin experiment planned. Integration phase underway.

CONCEPT

GRU SPACEConcept

GRU Space Lunar Hotel

$10M/guestTarget 2032

Y Combinator-backed concept for a lunar surface hotel. $10M per guest targeting ultra-high-net-worth market. 2032 target date.

Regulation & Policy

REGULATORY

FAAActive

FAA Commercial Spaceflight Licensing

RegulatorySafety moratorium expires Jan 2028

The FAA informed consent moratorium expires January 1, 2028, after which FAA gains authority to regulate occupant safety. SpARC final report delivered April 2025 provides basis for future rulemaking.

REGULATORY

INTLFragmented

International Space Tourism Regulation

RegulatoryNo unified framework

No international space tourism safety framework exists. National patchwork of regulations across US, UK, UAE, and Australia. Harmonization efforts ongoing but fragmented.

Sector Profiles

Sector profiles cover 16 programs across orbital tourism, suborbital vehicles, lunar tourism concepts, space hotels, and regulatory frameworks. Full profiles sourced from verified research across FAA, company announcements, and regulatory filings.