{"id":527212,"date":"2025-03-25T12:28:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T01:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/?p=527212"},"modified":"2025-03-25T12:28:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T01:28:46","slug":"your-next-first-class-might-not-be-on-a-plane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/travel\/your-next-first-class-might-not-be-on-a-plane","title":{"rendered":"Your Next First Class Flight Might Not Be on a Plane"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are launching the future of space tourism.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Space tourism is expected to grow rapidly and reach $10-15 billion USD by 2030.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Private spaceflight is becoming more accessible, with upcoming space hotels and lunar missions.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p>Human curiosity has always <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/travel\/supersonic-boom-overture\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">caused us to explore<\/a> different lands such as climbing the tallest peaks, diving into the deepest oceans or jet-setting across continents. But now, the ultimate travel destination is not about to be some hidden island or remote jungle. Iat\u2019s about to be space.<\/p><p>What once was confined to astronauts and science fiction is slowly coming closer to a luxury reality. Thanks to deep-pocketed billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Richard_Branson\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Richard Branson<\/a>, space tourism is quickly shifting from an impossible dream to an extravagant getaway. And if the latest developments are anything to go by, we\u2019re not far from a world where sipping champagne in zero gravity becomes just another Tuesday for the wealthiest people of the world.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-defining-the-final-frontier\">Defining the Final Frontier<\/h2><p>To understand where space tourism is heading, it\u2019s helpful to know where space actually begins. The internationally recognized boundary, certified by the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration A\u00e9ronautique Internationale, is the K\u00e1rm\u00e1n line, which sits about 60 miles (100 kilometres) above the Earth\u2019s surface. Cross that line, and congratulations, you\u2019re officially in space.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"788\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Spacex-1-1400x788.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-527047\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Spacex-1-1400x788.webp 1400w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Spacex-1-960x540.webp 960w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Spacex-1-640x360.webp 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Spacex-1-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Spacex-1-480x270.webp 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 800px, (min-width: 1025px) 1000px, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SpaceX is targeting lunar tourism by the late 2020s, offering affluent travelers the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Apollo astronauts. Image: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>And here\u2019s the exciting part. By the end of 2025, multiple companies are expected to offer both suborbital and orbital flights, making space more accessible \u2014 at least for those who can afford the ticket.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-1068529342\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1758808220 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1758808220 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-1068529342\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1758808220.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-1068529342\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1758808220);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-current-space-race\">The Current Space Race<\/h2><p>Elon Musk\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spacex.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SpaceX<\/a> has been busy turning civilians into astronauts through its Crew Dragon and Starship aircrafts. In September 2021, the company made history with the Inspiration4 mission which was the first all-civilian orbital flight.<\/p><p>Fast forward to September 2024, and the company\u2019s Polaris Dawn mission achieved another milestone with the first private spacewalk \u2014 because apparently, floating in space wasn\u2019t thrilling enough on its own. But Musk isn\u2019t stopping there either. With the Starship program, SpaceX is eyeing lunar tourism by the late 2020s and will offer well-funded travellers the chance to follow in the Apollo astronauts\u2019 footsteps.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-1952875296\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1232879268 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1232879268 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-1952875296\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1232879268.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-1952875296\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1232879268);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"933\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Blue-1400x933.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-527220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Blue-1400x933.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Blue-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Blue-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Blue-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Blue-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 800px, (min-width: 1025px) 1000px, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin\u2019s first ticket for space travel was sold for $28 million USD. Image: Blue Origin<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Richard Branson\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.virgingalactic.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Virgin Galactic<\/a> is also all about making space tourism a thrilling yet slightly more accessible experience. The company officially opened ticket sales to the public in 2022, with a price tag of $450,000 USD per seat. Then, in June 2023, Virgin Galactic launched Galactic 01, which was the first commercial space tourism flight and marked another milestone in civilian space travel. <\/p><p>After a brief pause for fleet upgrades, Virgin Galactic plans to resume flights by late 2025 and will offer a revised ticket price of $250,000 USD \u2014 still not cheap, but a step toward bringing space tourism beyond just billionaires and hedge fund tycoons. The company will also offer their own signature experience \u2014 a 2.5-hour journey which will feature six minutes of weightlessness and a breathtaking view of Earth\u2019s curvature.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-462802402\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1720772494 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1720772494 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-462802402\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1720772494.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-462802402\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1720772494);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <p>Jeff Bezos\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blueorigin.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Blue Origin<\/a> has also been part of the space race and has steadily been racking up successful missions with its New Shepard rocket, which has completed 26 flights so far. The first civilian ticket was sold for $28 million USD in a 2021 charity auction, proving that there\u2019s no shortage of people willing to pay obscene amounts for a quick trip to space. More recently, Blue Origin made headlines when Karsen Kitchen became the youngest woman to cross the K\u00e1rm\u00e1n line aboard NS-26. This really highlighted the growing diversity of space travellers in recent years.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/@inspiration4x.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-527222\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/@inspiration4x.jpg 720w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/@inspiration4x-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/@inspiration4x-255x191.jpg 255w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/@inspiration4x-480x360.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (min-width: 769px) 800px, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In September 2021, Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX made history with the Inspiration4 mission, which was the first all-civilian orbital flight. Image: @inspiration4x<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-beyond-the-atmosphere\">Beyond the Atmosphere<\/h2><p>Short suborbital joyrides are definitely exciting, but the future of space tourism is looking even better. Companies like Orbital Assembly and Axiom Space are already developing space hotels that are set to open by 2030 and promise luxury stays in microgravity. Imagine waking up to an endless view of the Earth from orbit \u2014 now that\u2019s a five-star experience.<\/p><p>Meanwhile, the first commercial space station is expected to begin operations between 2027 and 2028 and this will further open up extended research missions and high-end leisure trips. And if all goes according to plan, lunar tourism could soon be a reality, with civilians stepping onto the Moon before the end of the decade.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Reddit-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-527229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Reddit-1.jpg 900w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Reddit-1-640x457.jpg 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Reddit-1-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Reddit-1-255x182.jpg 255w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Reddit-1-480x343.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (min-width: 769px) 800px, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The space tourism valuation is expected to expand by 15-20% annually over the next five years. Image: Reddit<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>For now, though, space tourism is accessible only to the extremely wealthy. But just like commercial air travel went from an elite luxury to an everyday convenience, there\u2019s hope that private spaceflight could also follow a similar path. Market numbers are also showing that the space tourism sector is expected to expand by <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/patentpc.com\/blog\/space-tourism-market-growth-how-many-people-will-travel-to-space-in-2025-2030-key-stats\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">15-20% annually<\/a> between 2025 and 2030 and reach a valuation of $10-15 billion USD.<\/p><p>The number of space tourists are also expected to increase from 250-400 in 2025 to over 1,000 by 2030. Naturally this type of growth is getting the attention of global investors and countries like Japan and the UAE are investing billions in their own space tourism projects.<\/p><p>The real problem though is cost. Companies are working to bring prices down but it\u2019ll take years, if not decades, before space travel is anything close to affordable for the average person. But one thing\u2019s clear: the demand is there and space is closer than ever to becoming the next luxury destination.<\/p>    <div class=\"content-subscribe\">\n        <div class=\"subscribe-box\">\n            <p class=\"subscribe-title\">Curated news for men, <br\/>delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n            <form class=\"subscribe-form\" method=\"POST\">\n                <div class=\"subscribe-input\">\n                    <label class=\"screen-reader-text\" for=\"subscribe-email\">Email:<\/label>\n                    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" id=\"subscribe-email\" placeholder=\"Enter your email\" required class=\"form-control\" autocomplete=\"on\" \/>\n                    <button type=\"submit\" class=\"button button-primary subscribe-button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"source\" value=\"article\" \/>\n                    <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"_wpnonce\" name=\"_wpnonce\" value=\"e2df992756\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527212\" \/>                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"form-result\"><\/div>\n            <\/form>\n            <p class=\"subscribe-copy\">Join the DMARGE newsletter \u2014 Be the first to receive the latest news and exclusive stories on style, travel, luxury, cars, and watches. Straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Space tourism is no longer science fiction. With billionaires leading the charge, space is quickly becoming the next frontier in ultra-luxury travel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101118,"featured_media":527266,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[237],"tags":[2508],"coauthors":[146480],"class_list":{"0":"post-527212","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel","8":"tag-first-class"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=527212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/527266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=527212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=527212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=527212"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=527212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}