Chinese company Deep Blue Aerospace has announced that it plans to begin crewed space travel from 2027.The company wants to enter the space tourism, sending customers into space, as part of so-called “suborbital flights.”
In these flights, the spacecraft reach the edge of space, but do not have the required speed to remain in orbit and thus return to Earth a few minutes later.
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The ticket will cost 1.5 million RMB – about $210,000 US. According to the announcement , customers will receive “much more than a brief weightlessness experience. They will experience the vastness and mystery of the universe and witness the magnificent landscape beyond Earth. This will be a space journey that will be unforgettable for a lifetime.
The Chinese company also gave a brief presentation of its suborbital spaceflight system, which includes a reusable rocket-capsule combination, similar to 's New Shepard Blue Origin, which has already made eight crewed suborbital flights.
New Shepard can accommodate six passengers. Those people experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see the Earth from above during a flight lasting 10 to 12 minutes. Deep Blue Aerospace's suborbital missions will likely be similar.
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Deep Blue Aerospace, which is developing an orbital rocket called Nebula-1, said early ticket buyers should be patient. The company will spend several years developing and testing its suborbital spaceflight system.
“The spacecraft-rocket combination will also undergo dozens of tests in 2026 to ensure the safety and reliability of suborbital manned travel. The trips will officially begin in 2027,” Deep Blue representatives said.
Manned space travel is a goal of many space companies. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic have already made some short trips.
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Deep Blue Aerospace’s entry into the space tourism market is evidence of the growing demand for such experiences and signals a shift towards the commercialization of space travel. These missions could open up new opportunities for exploration, while allowing more people to see what it’s like to be in space. As technology continues to advance and costs continue to fall, we can expect to see more companies enter this exciting industry.
Source: www.space.com
