From rockets to resorts: Space tourism moves into business mode

Shrankhla Verma | September 5, 2025

Not long ago, booking a seat to space sounded like something out of The Jetsons. Today, it’s inching closer to reality. Tourists are strapping into rockets, companies are dreaming up orbital hotels, and governments are reshaping laws to let private players join the race. India’s own Space Policy 2023—its “Space Act moment”—has thrown open the gates for startups, investors, and global partners to build alongside ISRO. What was once the playground of astronauts is slowly becoming an adventure people can imagine for themselves.

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Ten years ago, the idea of booking a ticket to space felt like pure fiction like the Jetsons. Today, it’s edging into reality. Billion-dollar companies are flying passengers beyond Earth, startups are experimenting with new experiences, and governments are rewriting rules to make way for private players. What was once a dream reserved for sci-fi movies—or the ultra-wealthy—is beginning to take shape as a real industry.

By 2030, suborbital tourism alone could be worth US$4 billion, and the broader space tourism market may exceed US$10 billion annually. That’s no longer a futuristic daydream—it’s a business plan in motion.

Today companies like Blue Origin has restarted its New Shepard launches, sending paying customers on short trips past the edge of space. Virgin Galactic has paused its early flights but is building its next-generation Delta-class spaceplanes, due in 2026. Tickets are steep between US$ 450,000–600,000—but that hasn’t stopped adventurers from signing up.

At the other end of the spectrum are orbital missions. Axiom Space, in partnership with SpaceX, successfully launched the first private crew, Ax-1, to the International Space Station (ISS) in April 2022, with each of the four crew members paying approximately US$ 55 million for the mission. The Axiom-1 mission was a historic, fully private, and funded flight to the ISS, utilizing a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for transportation and including eight days of research and philanthropic work aboard the station. SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, launched in September 2024, not 2024 successfully conducted the first-ever private spacewalk and reached an altitude of 1408 kms, marking the highest Earth orbit achieved by humans since the Apollo program. During the five-day flight, the crew also studied the effects of radiation and performed various experiments, including testing new spacesuits

For those not ready to mortgage a small country, there’s Zero-G’s parabolic flights at around US$ 8,900, giving passengers a few minutes of weightlessness. Balloon-based journeys promised gentle rides to the stratosphere, but the collapse of Space Perspective in 2025 showed how brutally hard the business can be.

Where is this headed?

Private space stations, such as Axiom Station, Orbital Reef, and Starlab, are in development with plans to host a mix of researchers, corporate clients, and tourists in the late 2020s. These private orbital outposts are being designed to operate concurrently with the International Space Station (ISS) before its planned retirement around 2030, marking a major shift toward a commercialized low-Earth orbit (LEO) economy.

At the same time, new vehicles could transform access. Virgin Galactic’s Delta planes promise more frequent flights. SpaceX’s Starship, still in testing, could slash costs by carrying far more passengers and cargo in a single trip. In the mid-term, bundled packages—astronaut training, Zero-G flights, suborbital hops—will make the whole adventure feel more immersive. Long-term? Hotels, residencies, and research hubs in orbit.

India’s place in the space story

The Indian Space Policy 2023 officially shifts ISRO’s focus from commercial launch operations and manufacturing to pure research, advanced missions, and expanding human space exploration. The policy creates an enabling environment for private companies to enter and participate in all aspects of the space sector.

To back this up, the government opened the doors wider for foreign investment in 2024 and even transferred ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) technology to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in 2025. Startups like Skyroot and Agnikul are already building their own rockets, and partnerships with international space station projects don’t seem far off.

As the Financial Times noted, India isn’t just a low-cost option anymore—it’s emerging as a serious commercial contender. For tourism, this means India could soon be more than just a launchpad; it could be a partner in shaping the experiences themselves. Private space tourism is still ultra-exclusive, but it’s no longer make-believe. The industry’s future hinges on lowering costs, improving safety, and flying more often.

It’s about an entire ecosystem being built to make cosmic travel part of the human journey.

Top 5 FAQs on space tourism

1. What types of space tourism trips are currently available?
Space tourism comes in two primary forms: suborbital (short flights beyond the edge of space with a few minutes of weightlessness) and orbital (longer missions orbiting the Earth, often aboard spacecraft like the Crew Dragon or Soyuz).

2. How much does a ticket to space cost?
Suborbital flights typically range from US$ 250,000 to US$ 600,000, while orbital trips to the ISS can cost tens of millions of dollars, often around US$ 55 million per person.

3. What does ‘suborbital’ versus ‘orbital’ mean?
A suborbital flight briefly exits the atmosphere and returns, offering minutes of weightlessness. An orbital flight circles the Earth at high speed (about 17,500 mph) and can last from hours to weeks.

4. Is space tourism safe? What training is required?
While companies emphasize safety, spaceflight remains inherently risky. Passengers typically undergo medical screening, G-force training, and simulator sessions to prepare for launch and microgravity. Risks include launch failures, radiation exposure, and harsh re-entry conditions.

5. How many people have already traveled to space as tourists?
Since 2001, only a small number of individuals—both suborbital and orbital travelers—have been space tourists. Orbital tourists were rare until recent SpaceX missions, while suborbital flights are becoming more frequent, with figures still in the dozens rather than hundreds.