Boeing’s (BA) Starliner capsule launched its first manned space mission on Wednesday morning. Space companies hope for a future in which consumers can purchase tickets as space tourists. Ines Ferré breaks down the real cost of traveling to space right now.
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This article was written by Gabriel Roy
Video Transcript
Well, everyone.
Boeing’s starliner crew launched its first manned space mission out of Cape Canaveral Florida this morning.
Now this launch had two train NASA astronauts aboard the rocket.
But the future many space companies are ho hoping for here is one where everyday people like you and me can buy a ticket, head off to space as a tourist.
But how much should that cost here with some of the info?
We’ve got our very own and that’s free.
I say free.
And what do you say?
Oh yeah, Brad.
Well, listen, I do not doubt at all that decades to come from.
Now, we are going to be seeing these flights a lot cheaper, a lot more accessible and uh mankind will be going to space and Mars.
But that’s a different story right now.
We want to know how much does it cost?
Look?
Virgin galactic is the one that really has the most transparency as far as what their tickets cost uh for commercial, for flights for every day tourists.
So remember when they first were launching, uh they had announced tickets at around $250,000 or so, then they announced that their prices were going up to $450,000.
They have a backlog of about 600 people at that lower price point that will be flying for 450.
But now they are aiming to do 125 flights a year to fly 750 astronauts per year.
So they recently announced a price hike to $600,000 per ticket.
That’s for Virgin Galactic Blue origin has not said how much their ticket costs in 2021 they auctioned off the first ticket where they were flying with Jeff Bezos that was auctioned off for 28 million.
There are some who had reportedly paid about a million dollars.
Then you had William Shatner that went on that flight.
Look, some of these tickets also remember that they’re almost for publicity as well.
So they may be free for a lot of people who are these stars that are going on these uh these uh spacecrafts.
And then you have space X that had its inspiration for that was orbital and that was with four people that were on board and that was for, that was to raise money for Saint Jude’s children’s hospital.
Um Now does space want to get into the commercial flights for everyday people?
Uh It’s, we’re not sure yet.
That’s, that, that’s our focal point.
They have so many other projects.
They have so many uh that are being funded by NASA and are doing so much with governments etcetera that we, that it’s unclear whether they’re, they’ll take that route.
But certainly you are going to see more of this and even space hospitality.
I was just talking to somebody about that about being up in space having a cocktail.
I mean, we have sent so many people to the, is why not be able to send, uh, paying customers to a place where they can see the stars and look at the earth.
Yeah, indeed.
All right.
Well, that one of the wealthiest forms of tourism here.
Yahoo Finance’s own and e for a closing out wealth here on a strong note.
Thanks so much an appreciate it.
Thank you.