Space tourism is human space travel for enjoyment. Until the early 2000’s, anyone who traveled in space was selected by military or civilian space programs to conduct scientific research or perform other important work. In 2001, the American investment consultant Dennis Tito became the first space tourist. Tito paid around $20 million to visit the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Russian Soyuz craft. Over the next several years, a handful of space tourists made similar trips.
Space travel is still uncommon and expensive. However, several private companies have begun to offer space tourism opportunities to customers. Customers can buy tickets from such companies as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic to reserve a seat on a future spaceflight. Some entrepreneurs (business developers) are working to lower the cost of space travel, so that more people in the future can afford space travel for enjoyment.
Some companies plan to offer suborbital flights, which take passengers to the edge of space for a brief visit. Other companies, such as SpaceX, are pursuing plans to carry tourists into Earth orbit or even to the moon.
In 2021, SpaceX launched the first space mission with no professional astronauts on the crew. The four passengers were all space tourists. The trip was privately funded by one of the passengers.
