The first trip will be able to accommodate just four adventurous travelers.
Four lucky travelers will be heading on an out-of-this-world excursion as early as 2021. SpaceX has officially signed a deal with space tourism company, Space Adventures, and will move forward with planning a trip orbiting the Earth.
In collaboration with Space Adventures, SpaceX will organise a flight for just four people aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. The trip is set to take place in late 2021, according to the press release.
“Creating unique and previously impossible opportunities for private citizens to experience space is why Space Adventures exists,” said Eric Anderson, Chairman of Space Adventures. “Honoring our combined histories, this Dragon mission will be a special experience and a once in a lifetime opportunity – capable of reaching twice the altitude of any prior civilian astronaut mission or space station visitor.”
Passengers will spend up to five days traveling through Earth’s orbit from inside an intimate gumdrop-shaped spacecraft that measures just 13-feet across. According to Anderson, the flight path could take tourists to altitudes two to three times higher than where the International Space Station orbits, which is further from Earth than anyone has traveled in decades.
“This historic mission will forge a path to making spaceflight possible for all people who dream of it, and we are pleased to work with the Space Adventures’ team on the mission,” Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX said in a statement.
According to CNN, the next step will be to find wealthy individuals willing to pay for the experience. A Space Adventures spokesperson reportedly said the cost will be “in the range as other orbital spaceflight opportunities,” which have previously been in the tens of millions of dollars.
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