A Chinese company today launched the sale of two tickets for a commercial space flight scheduled for 2027. The tickets offered by Deep Blue Aerospace cost 1.5 million yuan each (195,000 euros) and passengers will experience five minutes of weight. Deep Blue Aerospace is one of China’s leading companies in the rapidly growing commercial space sector. Authorities are encouraging the development of this type of company, which is likely to catch up with foreign rivals such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
According to official media, 26 launches by commercial companies were carried out in China in 2023. Among them is the Zhuque-2, designed by private company LandSpace and the world’s first rocket to reach orbit using liquid methane engines, a promising technology that could reduce costs. The tourist trip put on sale today will be suborbital, meaning passengers will reach space, where they will stay for 12 minutes, but will not be put into orbit, the company said.
In recent years, several Chinese companies have entered the commercial space sector. In May, CAS Space announced that it will offer space tourism flights in China in 2028. China has an ambitious official space program. It involves sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and building a lunar base.