SpaceX will launch four orbital tourists before Virgin Galactic or Blue Origin launch their first sub-orbital tourists.
Inspiration4 is a planned SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to low Earth orbit operated by SpaceX on behalf of Jared Isaacman. The flight is scheduled to launch on 15 September 2021. The mission is expected to launch in September 2021 atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A). Following three days in orbit, the spacecraft will return to Earth via splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.
Inspiration4 is the world’s first all-civilian mission to space. This will launch four people on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and the Dragon capsule. The mission will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and Chief Executive Officer of Shift4 Payments and an accomplished pilot and adventurer. Inspiration4 will leave Earth from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A, the embarkation point for Apollo and Space Shuttle missions, and travel across a low earth orbit on a multi-day journey that will continually eclipse more than 90% of the earth’s population. Named in recognition of the four-person crew that will raise awareness and funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, this milestone represents a new era for human spaceflight and exploration.
Soyuz MS19
This will have a director and an actress. They fly aboard the Soyuz to the ISS and will film a movie about the Soyuz 7. They will film in the expanded section Russian section of the ISS. Soyuz MS-19 is a Soyuz spaceflight planned for launch on 5 October 2021. Soyuz MS-19 will be the 147th flight of a crewed Soyuz spacecraft.
Russian film director Klim Shipenko and Russian actress Yulia Peresild planned to spend about a week on the ISS before returning to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-18. They will film the movie, the Challenge.
Soyuz MS20
Soyuz MS-20 is a Russian Soyuz spaceflight to the International Space Station planned for launch on 8 December 2021.
This will have Russian Commander, Alexander Misurkin, RSA. Two tourists will be Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano, SA. This will be a dedicated tourist mission.
Axiom Am-1
Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) is a planned SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station (ISS), operated by SpaceX on behalf of Axiom Space. The flight will launch in January 2022 and send four people to the ISS for a eight-day stay: Michael López-Alegría a professionally trained astronaut hired by Axiom Space, Eytan Stibbe for Israel, Larry Connor from the United States and Mark Pathy from Canada. It was expected that Tom Cruise and Doug Liman would be passengers for a movie project, but it was later announced they will fly on a subsequent flight.
The tourists are each paying $55 million per orbital tourist.
Axiom is adding a new docking module. This will increase the number of spacecraft parking spaces to three spots. Axiom wants to take over management of the ISS.
Blue Origin Sub-orbital Flights
Blue Origin is talking about flying a first paying customer on a suborbital flight (NS16) in July, 2021. If successful then the next flight, NS17, would be in October, 2021.
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic has four test flights remaining before it completes development of its SpaceShipTwo system. The test flights have been delayed.
SOURCES- Scott Manley, SpaceX, Inspiration4, Soyuz, Wikipedia, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic
Written by Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
ah. but the culture of private enterprise working for public consumption is a Huge value shift in space. Now to match the space skills/ capital/ infrastructure -to- the public demand, price point, and regulatory structure — for the Win.
From what I hear the astronauts say, the first glimpse of the Earth from orbit, or high sub-orbit, is the life changing event. The more, the merrier! And just heard about seeing Milky Way from docked Dragon, lights off for testing. OK, I'm ready to go.
Orbital Assembly Corporation, announced the opening of its new production facility in California to build the world’s first space hotel with lunar levels of gravity between the Earth and the moon. The company is progressing towards its first mission launch deadline scheduled for 2023.
also OSIRIS-REX departed for its return
I would consider the launch of the James Webb more significant.
Of course there is a difference between a suborbital launching tour that costs about $250,000 per passenger for few minutes of 0 gravity and an orbital splash down mission that takes few days and costs Tens of Millions. It is bigger then the difference between traveling tourist class and business jet I guess.