Space tourism is a form of commercial travel to space. It may involve watching an explosion, in search of stars, or even a trip to a destination that is geared towards space like the International Space Station. In addition, it may also include flights into near space using reusable vehicles such as the Blue Origin New Shepard or a suborbital flight aboard the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo.

The term”space tourist” has a wider definition than simply tourism, as it also includes individuals who are on an expedition to conduct scientific research or to offer other services. Dennis Tito, along with other multimillionaires, paid $20 million for a trip in 2001 to the International Space Station. Since then, a multitude of companies have emerged to provide a variety tourism experiences.

In recent years, the majority of the companies that offer space tourism have aimed to fly paying passengers into near-space with their own reusable rockets. However there are a few companies that are planning to offer longer-duration orbital trips into space, too.

To prepare for a possible spaceflight, it is important to know as much as you can about the spacecraft and the space flight itself. It is also helpful to decide whether you will test what some astronauts or cosmonauts call “stupid astronaut tricks” such as flips or spins in a state of numbness, and what souvenirs you’ll take with you (such as a pennant from a college as U.S. astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford famously did on their Gemini VI spacecraft with a “Beat Army” sign).

As the demand for space tourism continues to increase it is likely that companies will begin to expand their fleets and create new spacecraft that can be used for both tourism and longer-duration orbital travel. As the industry matures it is likely that prices will drop for special info these trips.