Chinese space tourism set for 2027 take-off with aerospace firm offering US$210,000 seats

Deep Blue Aerospace sells 2 tickets for a trip it says features at least 5 minutes of weightlessness in outer space

Reading Time:2 minutes

Huo Liang, chairman of Deep Blue Aerospace, says his firm’s tickets may soon cost as little as “several hundred thousand yuan”, which netizens say is a “bargain” for space tourism. Photo: Weibo/Deep Blue Aerospace

Published: 6:12pm, 25 Oct 2024Updated: 6:59pm, 25 Oct 2024

The countdown has begun for the launch of Chinese space tourism, with a private space firm selling two tickets – at 1.5 million yuan (US$210,000) each – for seats on a rocket ride in 2027.

Tech start-up Deep Blue Aerospace, which is based in eastern Jiangsu province, said its first passengers would be sent on a journey of around 12 minutes during which they could experience at least five minutes of weightlessness in outer space before heading back to Earth.

11:05

Space race elevates Asia in new world order

The company put the tickets on sale at 6pm on Thursday and sold them within 20 minutes during a live stream event on e-commerce giant Taobao, according to Chinese media outlets.

It plans to release more tickets next month.

Taobao is owned by Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post.

During the 2027 trip, the passengers will be taken on a suborbital flight, meaning the rocket will reach outer space but not enter orbit around the Earth, according to a statement the company posted to social media on Wednesday.

Saying it “understands profoundly the complexity and risks” of rocket technology, the company outlined plans to conduct dozens of trials over the next two years to ensure the project’s safety and reliability before officially launching commercial space tourism in 2027.