Private companies have launched nearly 120 civilians to the edge of space, establishing a new frontier in travel. Space tourism is no longer science fiction, but science fact.
Two companies – Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic – offer suborbital flights reaching approximately 50 to 60 miles above Earth. These journeys last as little as 11 minutes, and have sent newly-minted astronauts, tycoons and celebrities — including “Star Trek” actor William Shatner — to space.
“CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King will step aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket on Monday alongside a history-making all-women crew.
Others who have been to space spoke to CBS News about their experiences. Mountaineer Vanessa O’Brien flew with Blue Origin in 2022.
“You are able to see something so precious. It was seeing that blue marble from above, and it translates into a sense of responsibility and an appreciation that we are all connected, that it is one planet.”
For more ambitious space tourists, Elon Musk’s SpaceX offers orbital experiences. In 2021, billionaire Jared Isaacman funded Inspiration 4, an all-civilian mission that orbited Earth for three days. Another company, Axiom, has taken civilians to the International Space Station.
Ticket prices are reportedly costly – about $500,000 per passenger for suborbital flights and around $200 million to charter a SpaceX capsule into orbit.
Experts believe costs will decrease with more frequent launches.
You can watch coverage of the Monday morning launch on CBS or stream it on CBS News 24/7 and Paramount+.
Watch “CBS Mornings,” which airs every weekday from 7 to 9 a.m. ET, for pre-launch coverage and other top stories. Special coverage on “CBS Mornings” starts at 9 a.m. ET, with the launch window opening at 9:30 a.m. ET.
