Key insight, 2026New Shepard paused Jan 30; Haven-1 to NET Q1 2027 Jan 20; Delta to Feb 2027 Aug 12; NASA PAM-6 and France orders to Vast; CLDC final RFP due Dec 8

With New Shepard paused and Delta and Haven-1 slipped to 2027, the firm human-spaceflight dates now belong to government buyers, led by CLDC proposals due December 8, 2026.

Source: NASA JSC CLDC final RFP 80JSC027R0004 (SAM.gov); Vast, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic announcements

The year 2026

JanJan 20, 2026

Vast moved the Haven-1 single-module station launch from May 2026 to no earlier than the first quarter of 2027.
Payload
JanJan 30, 2026

Blue Origin paused New Shepard for at least two years after 38 flights that carried 98 people, shifting resources to its lunar lander.
Blue Origin via Space Explored
FebFeb 12, 2026

NASA ordered its sixth private astronaut mission to the ISS from Vast, a Dragon flight of up to 14 days targeted no earlier than summer 2027.
Vast press release
MarMar 23, 2026

Ondas agreed to acquire World View, the balloon company behind the planned $50,000 Explorer seat, and described the business as stratospheric ISR and remote sensing.
Ondas press release
MayMay 21, 2026

SpaceX named Chun Wang to join Dennis and Akiko Tito on the first planned commercial Starship flight around the Moon, with no launch date set.
SpacePolicyOnline
JunJun 1, 2026

France signed a two-mission agreement with Vast, Thomas Pesquet to command an ISS private mission and Arnaud Prost to fly the first crewed Haven-1 mission, both in 2027.
Vast press release
AugAug 12, 2026

Virgin Galactic moved the first commercial Delta flight from the fourth quarter of 2026 to February 2027 at the earliest, after selling more than 50 seats at $750,000.
Engadget, citing Bloomberg and the earnings call

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 fundedNo flight scheduled

Jared Isaacman's privately funded program flew the first commercial spacewalk on Polaris Dawn in September 2024. During his NASA nomination Isaacman pledged to cancel his contract for the remaining missions, and no Polaris flight has been announced since he became Administrator.

EDITORIAL STEM

VASTopen

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

$1B+ investedLaunch NET Q1 2027

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 about 14 months 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.

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

SPACEXNo Flight Scheduled

Polaris Program (Missions 2 & 3)

Privately fundedMission 1 flown Sep 2024; 2-3 unscheduled

Jared Isaacman's privately funded program. Polaris Dawn (Mission 1) completed the first commercial EVA in September 2024. Isaacman pledged during his NASA nomination to cancel his contract for the remaining missions, and no further Polaris flight has been announced.

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

$750K/seatUnity retired; first Delta flight NET Feb 2027

SpaceShipTwo Unity retired after limited commercial flights. Seat sales for the Delta-class reopened in March 2026 at $750,000, with more than 50 seats sold, and on August 12, 2026 the first commercial flight moved to February 2027 at the earliest.

PROGRAM TRACKER

WORLD VIEWDormant

Stratospheric Balloon Tourism

$50K/seatNo flight date

World View has not flown a passenger. The company priced Explorer capsule seats at $50,000 in 2021 and targeted first flights for early 2024, a date that passed. Ondas agreed to acquire World View on March 23, 2026 and described the business as stratospheric ISR and remote sensing, with no mention of passenger flights.

Lunar Tourism

PROGRAM TRACKER

SPACEXIn Development

Starship Circumlunar Tourism

UndisclosedContingent on Starship crew-rating

SpaceX has not set a date for its first commercial flight around the Moon. Dennis and Akiko Tito booked two seats in 2022, and on May 21, 2026 SpaceX said Chun Wang will join them on a week-long flyby within 200 km of the lunar surface. Starship has not yet carried crew. dearMoon, the first Starship lunar charter, was cancelled June 1, 2024.

Hotels & Habitats

PROGRAM TRACKER

VASTIn Development

Vast Haven-1 (Tourism Module)

$1B+ investedLaunch NET Q1 2027

Vast has not launched Haven-1. On January 20, 2026 the company moved the target from May 2026 to no earlier than Q1 2027 while it works through thermal control, life support, and remaining systems integration, plus environmental testing. CEO Max Haot said the first crewed mission will not fly until SpaceX is satisfied with the station's safety data.

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.