Space Tourism Companies Compared: Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Axiom, Vast and Space Adventures

Six companies matter if you want to fly to space as a private person or as a non-astronaut professional in 2026 and 2027: Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin for suborbital flights, SpaceX as the operator of Crew Dragon, Axiom Space and Vast for private missions to the International Space Station, and Space Adventures as the broker that arranged earlier private flights to the ISS. As of October 2026, no suborbital passenger flight is flying: Virgin Galactic plans to start commercial service in February 2027, and Blue Origin has paused New Shepard since January 2026. All private orbital missions announced for 2027 fly on SpaceX's Crew Dragon, and their prices are not published.

This comparison shows what each company offers, what it has flown, what is planned next and how a booking starts. All figures come from the companies themselves. Prices are covered in detail in our guide How much does a trip to space cost?, and providers and vehicles for human spaceflight can be compared on the Carrier Space passenger flight page.

The companies at a glance

Virgin Galactic (suborbital spaceship): last published price $750,000 per seat, tranche sold out. First new spaceship expected to enter commercial service in February 2027, a second one in March 2027.
Blue Origin (suborbital, New Shepard): 38 flights and 98 people above the Kármán line. Flights paused since 30 January 2026 for no less than two years. No published price.
SpaceX (orbital, Crew Dragon): carries up to 7 people to Earth orbit and is the spacecraft for the private ISS missions of Axiom Space and Vast. Flew the first all-civilian crew to orbit in 2021. Advertises Starship missions around the Moon for up to 12 passengers.
Axiom Space (orbital, private astronaut missions to the ISS): four missions flown from 2022 to 2025. Ax-5 is targeted for no earlier than January 2027 for up to 14 days.
Vast (orbital, Haven-1 and ISS missions): its own station Haven-1 is targeted for 2027. A private astronaut mission to the ISS with ESA astronauts is planned for 2027.
Space Adventures (broker): arranged private flights to the ISS, most recently two clients in December 2021.

Suborbital or orbital: two different products

A suborbital flight crosses the edge of space and comes straight back. Passengers get a few minutes of weightlessness and the view of the curved Earth. An orbital mission stays in space for days, usually docked to a space station, and needs months of training. The physics behind the difference are explained in suborbital vs orbital flight. The legal side is not settled either: suborbital flights sit between aviation and space law, see aviation law or space law.

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is preparing a new fleet of suborbital spaceships. In its second quarter 2026 business update of 12 August 2026, Virgin Galactic reported:

Price: the latest tranche of spaceflight expeditions, priced at $750,000, was oversubscribed and booked out ahead of schedule. A new tranche "at higher price points" was announced for this autumn.
Schedule: the first new ship is expected to enter commercial service in February 2027 instead of the fourth quarter of 2026. The flight test phase was to begin with a captive carry flight in October 2026. A second spaceship is planned to join the fleet in March 2027.
Research: on 14 October 2026 the company described plans to fly instruments regularly through the mesosphere and lower thermosphere.

For customers, this means: there is currently no seat on sale at a published price.

Blue Origin

According to Blue Origin, New Shepard was the first reusable spaceflight system to land vertically. On 30 January 2026 the company announced it will pause New Shepard flights for no less than two years to shift resources to its human lunar program. Up to then, New Shepard had flown 38 times, carried 98 humans above the Kármán line and launched more than 200 scientific and research payloads. Blue Origin speaks of a multi-year customer backlog. A ticket price was never published. By our own reading of the announced pause, flights would not restart before 2028.

SpaceX

SpaceX is the transport provider behind the private orbital missions of Axiom Space and Vast. According to SpaceX, Dragon can carry up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit and beyond, and in 2021 a Falcon 9 launched the first all-civilian crew to orbit on Dragon. Axiom Space and Vast both fly their crews on Dragon. For its missions, Vast states that SpaceX provides training on Falcon 9 and Dragon, emergency preparedness and full mission simulations.

On its human spaceflight page, SpaceX also invites inquiries for Starship missions. The lunar offer lists a mission duration of 7 days, up to 12 passengers with private quarters and 1,000 cubic metres of volume. No dates or prices are given.

Axiom Space

Axiom Space organises private astronaut missions to the ISS under NASA's private astronaut mission program and flies them on Crew Dragon.

Ax-1 (April 2022): Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy.
Ax-2 (May 2023): Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi.
Ax-3 (January 2024): Michael López-Alegría, Walter Villadei, Alper Gezeravcı and Marcus Wandt.
Ax-4 (June to July 2025): Peggy Whitson, Shubhanshu Shukla, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu.
Ax-5: NASA and Axiom signed the mission order on 30 January 2026. Launch is targeted for no earlier than January 2027 from Kennedy Space Center, with up to 14 days docked to the ISS. The crew has not been announced.

Axiom also plans its own station. The modules and the timeline are covered in Axiom Station explained.

Vast

Vast is building Haven-1, which it calls the world's first commercial space station. According to Vast, Haven-1 is targeted to launch in 2027 for crews of four on two-week missions, with 45 cubic metres of habitable volume, a 1.1 metre domed window and Starlink connectivity, in an orbit of 425 km at 51.6 degrees inclination. Crews will reach it on Crew Dragon.

Vast also flies to the ISS. On 9 September 2026, ESA signed an agreement with Vast on behalf of Greece for the Vast-PAM-1 mission, the sixth private astronaut mission to the ISS. ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is named commander, Aleš Svoboda of the Czech Republic pilot and Adrianos Golemis of Greece mission specialist, subject to approval by the station partners. The mission is planned for 2027 on Dragon and Falcon 9. In June 2026, France agreed with Vast on a private astronaut mission to the ISS and on ESA astronaut Arnaud Prost serving as flight test engineer on the first crewed mission to Haven-1.

Space Adventures

Space Adventures, founded in 1998, describes itself as the only company to have arranged for private astronauts to fly to and live in space. Its most recent clients, Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano, launched to the ISS in December 2021 and returned the same month. The company still lists flights to the ISS and a circumlunar mission among its offers, but its website shows no newer press releases than those from December 2021.

An alternative below space: stratospheric balloons

Balloon capsules do not reach space, but they offer a view of the curved Earth without rocket forces. The French company Zephalto, for example, plans flights to 25 km altitude for four guests, about six hours in total with three hours at altitude. On its own roadmap, Zephalto lists 2027 for the first flights open to the public.

How to choose and how to book

Decide what you want: minutes of weightlessness (suborbital) or days in orbit (orbital). The second option requires months of training and a medical qualification.
Check availability, not marketing: as of October 2026, the only operator selling suborbital seats is Virgin Galactic, and its next tranche is not yet open.
Ask about the route: orbital missions to the ISS run through NASA's private astronaut program and need approval of the crew by the station partners.
Read the contract: refund rules if the date slips, what is included (training, travel, insurance) and the planned altitude. Several dates in this article have already moved: Virgin Galactic's first commercial flight slipped from late 2026 to February 2027, and Vast first announced Haven-1 for no earlier than August 2025.
Consider sending an experiment: payloads fly far more often and far cheaper than people. See how to send an experiment to the ISS.

FAQ

Which companies offer space tourism?

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin offer suborbital flights, Axiom Space and Vast offer private missions to orbit on SpaceX's Crew Dragon, and Space Adventures has brokered private flights to the ISS. Blue Origin's flights are paused, and Virgin Galactic's next commercial flight is expected in February 2027.

Can I buy a space tourism ticket today?

Not at a published price. Virgin Galactic's $750,000 tranche is sold out and a new, more expensive one has been announced. Orbital missions are sold individually without public prices.

Which space tourism company has flown the most people?

Among suborbital operators, Blue Origin reports 98 people carried above the Kármán line on 38 New Shepard flights. In orbit, Axiom Space has flown four private crews of four to the ISS.

When will the next private mission to the ISS launch?

Axiom's Ax-5 is targeted for no earlier than January 2027. Vast's first private astronaut mission to the ISS is planned for 2027.

Sources

Cover image: The SpaceX Dragon carrying the Axiom Mission 4 crew approaches the International Space Station above the southern Indian Ocean, 26 June 2025, photographed from the station. Credit: NASA (iss073e0249492)