As companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin make headlines for sending non-astronauts into space on pricey private tours, a Chinese state firm is expected to unveil its own space tourism programme this week, joining other domestic enterprises as they attempt to make headway in the rapidly emerging – and US-dominated – market.
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China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the primary contractor for the country’s space programme, will unveil details of its inaugural tour at the China Hi-tech Fair, which opens on Friday in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen.
According to the Securities Times, a state-owned financial newspaper, reusable rockets and spacecraft will catapult passengers to the edge of the atmosphere, with each paying a hefty fee for the out-of-this-world experience; ticket prices have been estimated to start at 1 million yuan (US$140,534).
The trip will bring tourists about 100km (62 miles) above sea level – passing the internationally recognised boundary of outer space known as the Karman line – allowing them to feel weightlessness and view the Earth.
CASC did not immediately reply to an inquiry from the Post for comment.
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China has sped up the pace of its rocket and satellite launches this year, sending off four this week alone, with the value of its commercial space activities projected to hit 2.5 trillion yuan (US$351.3 billion) in 2025, Securities Times reported on Wednesday.
As the country plays catch-up with the more developed space programmes of the US and Russia, its aerospace operators are doing the same with the largely American firms that have sent wealthy individuals well beyond the Karman line.