Investigating Space: Space Tourism

Look at the next big mission in private space travel and discuss the industry’s next steps with Space.com senior writer, Mike Wall.

2021 was a big year for space tourism, as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin both launched their billionaire owners to suborbital space and SpaceX flew the first-ever all-private crewed mission to Earth orbit. This year, Axiom Space is poised to launch its first astronaut mission to the International Space Station in March and, perhaps, its second before the end of the year.

Where is all this action leading? Will space tourism fundamentally change how humanity operates in Earth orbit and beyond? Is it possible that one day space travel could be accessible to all?