Space tourism is becoming a reality.
Chilling Effect
Its most prominent player has announced that it had to cancel its SpaceX launch because it couldn't find enough wealthy and viable passengers for the trip. This could be a stark reality check for the hype-filled space tourism industry.
SpaceNews was told by Stacey Tearne, a spokesperson for SpaceX, that the mission was promoted to many potential customers. However, the price, timing, and experience of the mission didn't work out at that time. The offering will be re-examined in the future.
It's down to earth
This is a significant narrative shift following the Inspiration4 mission that launched four amateur astronauts aboard a SpaceX crew Dragon capsule for a three day joyride in Earth's orbit last month.
This event was a demonstration of concept for future space tourism efforts and attracted global attention. The journey's rough edges, including sickness and toilet problems, along with the high price tag of around $200 million, may have shown that space tourism's target audience is very small, intolerant of considerable discomfort, and extremely wealthy.
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Do not panic
Space Adventures has been around since the 2000s. It has sent many tourists to space. However, none of these launches have occurred since 2009. There are still many planned space tourism launches. Axiom Space plans to send a crew of four including an ex-NASA astronaut and wealthy entrepreneur to the International Space Station in 2022.
Space Adventures has yet to complete one trip. It plans to launch Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire, to the International Space Station in December. However, it will be doing so in a Russian Soyuz capsule and not a SpaceX vehicle.
READ MORE: Space Adventures has stopped planning Crew Dragon flight [SpaceNews]
SpaceX is Doubling its Number of Astronaut-Carrying Spacecraft
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