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How much does it cost to visit the International Space Station?

If you have to ask axiom space's ticket price, you can't afford it.

A group of four private astronauts arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on May 22, completing a journey from Cape Canaveral to the habitat orbiting 408 kilometers (254 miles) above the Earth.

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The mission, managed by Axiom Space , is the second time that paying passengers have flown independently to the ISS. Its crew includes Axiom employee Peggy Whitson, a retired NASA astronaut acting as the mission commander, as well as John Shoffner, the former CEO of fiber optics maker Dura-Line, and two government astronauts from Saudi Arabia, Ali Al Qarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. The latter is the first Arab woman in space.

Getting to space has always been famously expensive, and that’s still the truth today; what’s changed in recent years is that it’s a commodity available for purchase. Past orbital space tourists relied on brokers to make one-off deals with Russia’s cash-strapped space program. With the debut of SpaceX’s crew Dragon spacecraft in 2020, NASA announced that it would welcome private passengers at the ISS if they paid for their room and board.

Now, anyone with sufficient cash can hunt for one of the limited slots to head to orbit. Axiom hopes to fly about a twice a year, but NASA officials say they had trouble finding a window for this mission amid other upcoming activity at the station, including a cargo re-supply, a test flight of a new Boeing spacecraft, and the arrival of the next set of NASA astronauts.

How much will such a trip set you back? At least $60 million—with an emphasis on “at least.” This table shows the publicly available data on how much a private mission might cost per astronaut.

The real cost of flying to the ISS is much higher

But there’s much more to think about. For one, the cost per seat to ride on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is an estimate for NASA (pdf) from 2019, and it has   likely risen.

Presumably, Axiom’s customers also cover the cost of Whitson’s flight, since NASA requires a professional astronaut chaperone onboard. That adds about $20 million to each paying passenger’s ride. Then there’s the question of how much Axiom is charging. Despite the high cost of the trip, the limited supply of seats suggests Axiom could charge deep-pocketed individuals and governments a decent fee for getting them to orbit. By the time everything adds up, the cost of a trip could reach toward $100 million a person.

NASA hopes to replace the aging ISS with privately operated space stations that can serve its needs in low-Earth orbit, while also attracting customers like space tourists, foreign governments, and private companies. Letting private companies visit the publicly funded lab aims to prove that there’s enough demand for these services to attract sizable private investment.

Judging by Axiom’s flight plans and its goal of launching a new module to the ISS in 2025—alongside the other companies plotting to launch their own orbital habitats—NASA’s strategy is working so far.

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Here’s How Much It Will Cost You to Take a NASA-Approved Trip to the International Space Station

A month-long stay onboard the orbiting station will cost just over $1 million—but that doesn't include your flight..

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It may not be the moon, but adventurous travelers will soon get an official NASA -sanctioned opportunity to visit space.

Late last week, the space agency announced plans to open the International Space Station up to increased commercial activity starting in 2020. Part of a new strategy to help eventually make the habitable satellite economically sustainable, the move will allow private astronauts the first NASA -approved chance to visit the only place where people currently live off planet, according to the New York Times . But a trip to the literally out-of-this-world vacation spot will come with an appropriately astronomical price tag.

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To start with, each visitor will have to reimburse NASA roughly $35,000 per day of their stay. According to a chart obtained by the Verge , that cost breaks down to $22,500 for necessary crew supplies, including food, air and exercise equipment; $11,250 for regenerative life support and toilet facilities, $105 for stowage; $50 per gigabyte of data used and $42 per kilowatt-hour of electricity. Because of this, a month-long stay on ISS would cost just over $1 million.

Of course, room and board is just a small part of the trip’s overall price tag. The biggest cost will be actually getting to and from the station. Private astronauts will have to book a seat onboard a SpaceX or Boeing flight that’s already headed there. That ticket is expected to run $60 million, according to BBC , the same price the two companies charge NASA to “taxi” a fully trained astronaut to ISS.

While NASA is finally ready to give non-astronauts the chance to visit the station, don’t expect it to become the next tourist hotspot just yet. Space onboard the orbiting station will be extremely limited at first. Right now, the plan is for only two approved private astronauts to visit the station each year.

The lucky few who can afford the costs associated with the trip won’t be the first space tourists, though. While NASA has previously turned its nose up to the thought of allowing visitors onboard ISS, Russia, which has helped run the station since its launch in 1998, has long taken a much more relaxed position on civilian travel. American businessman Dennis Tito first paid the country $20 million to visit in 2001, which, even accounting for inflation, sounds like a relative steal.

Bryan Hood is a digital staff writer at Robb Report. Before joining the magazine, he worked for the New York Post, Artinfo and New York magazine, where he covered everything from celebrity gossip to…

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How much does it cost?

The cost of the International Space Station, including development, assembly and running costs over 10 years, comes to €100 billion. High technology on the space frontier is not cheap.

The good news is that it comes cheaper than you might think. That  €100 billion figure is shared over a period of almost 30 years between all participants: the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and 10 of the 20 European nations who are part of ESA. The European share, at around €8 billion spread over the whole programme, amounts to just one Euro spent by every European every year: less than the price of a cup of coffee in most of our big cities.

Just that €1 has made it possible to develop and assemble in the Space Station, to build the ground infrastructure and to operate and use the Station for world-class research for more than 10 years. All this while generating high-tech jobs in European industry and research institutions, contributing to the build up of Europe as a peaceful knowledge and information society, and to the greatest international cooperative project ever undertaken.

The 10 ESA Member States participating in the International Space Station programme are: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

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How much does space travel cost?

Spaceflight has traditionally been a government-led activity — and it's never been cheap. But the stratospheric cost of putting people and payloads into space is finally starting to fall, thanks in part to the rise of SpaceX and other private spaceflight companies.

Here’s a look at what it costs to go to space, whether it’s another satellite that needs to be placed in orbit or an adventurous billionaire looking for a joyride around the moon .

Sending up a satellite

Using its 230-foot-tall Falcon 9, SpaceX charges $62 million to send into orbit commercial satellites weighing up to 50,000 pounds. The closest American competitor is the United Launch Alliance Atlas V, which starts at $73 million for a 41,000-pound payload .

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Those are just starting prices; government agencies typically pay more for a long list of extra services. The Air Force, for example, is paying SpaceX $96.5 million to launch a GPS satellite in 2019 .

Flying to the International Space Station

Since NASA mothballed its space shuttles in 2011, NASA has relied on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get astronauts to the ISS. Russia has been steadily raising the price of Soyuz seats, reaching $82 million each in 2015. The agency last purchased Soyuz seats for $75 million apiece in 2017.

NASA hopes to end its reliance on Russia in 2019, when SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner capsules begin “taxi” flights to the ISS. Seats on those spacecraft are expected to cost about $58 million .

How much would I have to pay for a flight into space?

Depending on where you're going, a ticket could set you back anywhere from $250,000 to tens of millions of dollars.

If you're looking simply to cross the 62-mile-high Karman line that marks the boundary between the upper atmosphere and outer space, Virgin Galactic says it will take you there for $250,000. The company says about 650 people already have tickets for the suborbital flights, to be made aboard a winged vehicle called SpaceShipTwo. A date for customer flights has yet to be announced.

Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, plans something similar — sending space tourists on brief suborbital flights using its New Shepard rocket system. The company has yet to set ticket prices or say when paid flights might begin.

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin passengers will join the fewer than a dozen private citizens who have funded their own trips into space. From 2001 to 2009, the Vienna, Virginia-based firm Space Adventures worked with Russia’s space agency to send eight people to the ISS on flights lasting 10 or more days.

Space A colossal elevator to space could be going up sooner than you ever imagined

The world's first private astronaut, a wealthy American engineer named Dennis Tito, reportedly paid $20 million to spend eight days in space in 2001. More recently, Guy Laliberté, the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, shelled out $35 million for an ISS trip in 2009 . Space Adventures still advertises Soyuz flights and plans to start booking trips to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner.

In September 2018, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa would ride the company’s yet-to-be-built Big Falcon Rocket on a trip around the moon. Neither Musk nor Maezawa, who said he would take along seven artists, would discuss the mission’s cost.

What about other rockets?

Small satellites may qualify for a free ride to space through NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program, which helps universities and research groups fly standardized satellites called CubeSats aboard rockets as secondary payloads.

If your satellite can’t hitch a free ride, you can book a NASA sounding rocket to the edge of space for as little as $1 million . For orbital flights of payloads weighing less than 500 pounds, Los Angeles-based Rocket Lab offers launches of its Electron rocket from New Zealand for about $5 million .

From there, the price goes up steeply. Northrop Grumman's Pegasus rocket, which is air-launched from the belly of a jumbo jet, can place 1,000 pounds in orbit for about $40 million . Stratolaunch, a new venture bankrolled by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, plans to launch Pegasus rockets from its own colossal airplane before offering an expanded line of rockets capable of carrying up to 13,000 pounds. The company has yet to disclose prices.

NASA is developing its Space Launch System, which will carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. The rocket’s per-launch cost has not been disclosed, but the agency now spends at least $2 billion per year on the project. The maiden flight isn’t expected until 2020.

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Space Tourism: Can A Civilian Go To Space?

2021 has been a busy year for private space tourism: overall, more than 15 civilians took a trip to space during this year. In this article, you will learn more about the space tourism industry, its history, and the companies that are most likely to make you a space tourist.

What is space tourism?

Brief history of space tourism, space tourism companies, orbital and suborbital space flights, how much does it cost for a person to go to space, is space tourism worth it, can i become a space tourist, why is space tourism bad for the environment.

Space tourism is human space travel for recreational or leisure purposes . It’s divided into different types, including orbital, suborbital, and lunar space tourism.

However, there are broader definitions for space tourism. According to the Space Tourism Guide , space tourism is a commercial activity related to space that includes going to space as a tourist, watching a rocket launch, going stargazing, or traveling to a space-focused destination.

The first space tourist was Dennis Tito, an American multimillionaire, who spent nearly eight days onboard the International Space Station in April 2001. This trip cost him $20 million and made Tito the first private citizen who purchased his space ticket. Over the next eight years, six more private citizens followed Tito to the International Space Station to become space tourists.

As space tourism became a real thing, dozens of companies entered this industry hoping to capitalize on renewed public interest in space, including Blue Origin in 2000 and Virgin Galactic in 2004. In the 2000s, space tourists were limited to launches aboard Russian Soyuz aircraft and only could go to the ISS. However, everything changed when the other players started to grow up on the market. There are now a variety of destinations and companies for travels to space.

There are now six major space companies that are arranging or planning to arrange touristic flights to space:

• Virgin Galactic;
• Blue Origin;
• Axiom Space;
• Space Perspective.

While the first two are focused on suborbital flights, Axiom and Boeing are working on orbital missions. SpaceX, in its turn, is prioritizing lunar tourism in the future. For now, Elon Musk’s company has allowed its Crew Dragon spacecraft to be chartered for orbital flights, as it happened with the Inspiration4 3-day mission . Space Perspective is developing a different balloon-based system to carry customers to the stratosphere and is planning to start its commercial flights in 2024.

Orbital and suborbital flights are very different. Taking an orbital flight means staying in orbit; in other words, going around the planet continually at a very high speed to not fall back to the Earth. Such a trip takes several days, even a week or more. A suborbital flight in its turn is more like a space hop — you blast off, make a huge arc, and eventually fall back to the Earth, never making it into orbit. A flight duration, in this case, ranges from 2 to 3 hours.

Here is an example: a spaceflight takes you to an altitude of 100 km above the Earth. To enter into orbit — make an orbital flight — you would have to gain a speed of about 28,000 km per hour (17,400 mph) or more. But to reach the given altitude and fall back to the Earth — make a suborbital flight — you would have to fly at only 6,000 km per hour (3,700 mph). This flight takes less energy, less fuel; therefore, it is less expensive.

• Virgin Galactic: $250,000 for a 2-hour suborbital flight at an altitude of 80 km;
• Blue Origin: approximately $300,000 for 12 minutes suborbital flight at an altitude of 100 km;
• Axiom Space: $55 million for a 10-day orbital flight;
• Space Perspective: $125,000 for a 6-hour flight to the edge of space (32 km above the Earth).

The price depends, but remember that suborbital space flights are always cheaper.

What exactly do you expect from a journey to space? Besides the awesome impressions, here is what you can experience during such a trip:

• Weightlessness . Keep in mind that during a suborbital flight you’ll get only a couple of minutes in weightlessness, but it will be truly fascinating .
• Space sickness . The symptoms include cold sweating, malaise, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, and vomiting. Even experienced astronauts are not immune from it!
• G-force . 1G is the acceleration we feel due to the force of gravity; a usual g-force astronauts experience during a rocket launch is around 3gs. To understand how a g-force influences people , watch this video.

For now, the most significant barrier for space tourism is price. But air travel was also once expensive; a one-way ticket cost more than half the price of a new car . Most likely, the price for space travel will reduce overtime as well. For now, you need to be either quite wealthy or win in a competition, as did Sian Proctor, a member of Inspiration4 mission . But before spending thousands of dollars on space travel, here is one more fact you might want to consider.

Rocket launches are harmful to the environment in general. During the burning of rocket fuels, rocket engines release harmful gases and soot particles (also known as black carbon) into the upper atmosphere, resulting in ozone depletion. Think about this: in 2018 black-carbon-producing rockets emitted about the same amount of black carbon as the global aviation industry emits annually.

However, not all space companies use black carbon for fuel. Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket has a liquid hydrogen-fuelled engine: hydrogen doesn’t emit carbon but simply turns into water vapor when burning.

The main reason why space tourism could be harmful to the environment is its potential popularity. With the rising amount of rocket launches the carbon footprint will only increase — Virgin Galactic alone aims to launch 400 of these flights annually. Meanwhile, the soot released by 1,000 space tourism flights could warm Antarctica by nearly 1°C !

Would you want to become a space tourist? Let us know your opinion on social media and share the article with your friends, if you enjoyed it! Also, the Best Mobile App Awards 2021 is going on right now, and we would very much appreciate it if you would vote for our Sky Tonight app . Simply tap "Vote for this app" in the upper part of the screen. No registration is required!

SEE THE WORLD AS IT WAS MADE TO BE SEEN

Live onboard the international space station, coming soon: the new boeing starliner spacecraft, space station.

The International Space Station (ISS) is mankind’s only permanently manned outpost. In low-Earth orbit it circles the Earth every 90 minutes.

A visit to the ISS is like no other experience.  When you reach Earth orbit you will be traveling at 17,500 miles per hour, over 250 miles above the Earth’s surface and you will be weightless, floating inside your spacecraft.

Space Adventures has arranged all nine of the flights to space completed by private citizens to date. All of our clients have flown to the International Space Station on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft , and have lived and worked alongside professional astronauts for 10 days or more.

Since the dawn of manned spaceflight, over 600 people have traveled to space – we are pleased to be able to offer you the opportunity to be the next.

• Circle the Earth every 90 minutes.
• Marvel at the Earth from 250 miles above
• Become one of the first 600 people to have ever flown to space

Please leave this field empty.

GETTING TO SPACE

We are happy to discuss the options available in the next few years. Please contact us for the latest.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

The International Space Station is permanently crewed by professional astronauts from the space station partner countries.  The size of the crew ranges from 4 to up to 12 professional astronauts.  It has an internal volume approximately the same size as a Boeing 777 aircraft, so there is plenty of space for privacy when needed.

More about the International Space Station in our Guide to the ISS or our Blog post – 7 things everyone should know about the ISS .

YOUR TIME IN SPACE

You will spend approximately 10 days in space, during which time you are principally free to do as you choose. Space Adventures has developed a suite of mission programs you can elect to participate in focusing on science education, ongoing human factor research or commercial activities.  Contact us to learn more. 

Yozo Hirano

Time in space: 14 days

Born in Ehime Prefecture, Japan in 1985. Yozo joined ZOZO Co. Ltd shortly after graduating from university, in charge of management and casting director of the photography team. After leaving ZOZO, he started working as a producer and manager for MZ’s private projects, including filming for MZ’s youtube channel. On the ISS, Yozo was responsible for filming MZ during their stay.

Yusaku Maezawa

Yusaku Maezawa, or MZ. is a Japanese e-commerce entrepreneur and world renowned art collector. After high school he became a drummer in a rock band, and an avid record collector. His record collection became the foundation of his first company. His mail order business transformed into an online business, which lead him to own and run Start Today, a publicly traded online retail clothing business, which he eventually sold to Yahoo Japan in 2019.

His Contemporary Art Collection is considered one of the finest in the world, and includes works of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jeff Koons.

In September 2018 MZ announced his intention to fly on the SpaceX Starship, along with a number of guests, around the Moon in a project entitled #DearMoon. The flight is slated to take place no earlier than 2023.

MZ also has a strong social media following, and holds social media records, including for the most retweets. He uses his social media presence to promote his personal philanthropy, at one point giving away 1 million yen ($9,300) to over 1000 randomly selected followers.

Guy Laliberte

Time in space: 11 days

Guy Laliberté was born in Québec City in 1959. An accordionist, stilt-walker and fire-eater, he founded the now world famous Cirque du Soleil in 1984. Guy Laliberté was the first to orchestrate the marriage of cultures and artistic and acrobatic disciplines that is the hallmark of Cirque du Soleil. Since 1984, he has guided the creative team through the creation of every show and contributed to elevating the circus arts to the level of the great artistic disciplines. Cirque du Soleil has become an international organization, as much in terms of its makeup as in the scope of its activities and influence. Guy Laliberté now heads an organization with activities on five continents.

In October 2007, Guy Laliberté entered into a second lifetime commitment by creating the ONE DROP Foundation to fight poverty around the world by providing sustainable access to safe water. This new dream stems from the knowledge that the right to water is key to the survival of individuals and communities all over the world and from the values which have been at the heart of Cirque du Soleil since its inception: the belief that life gives back what you have given and even the smallest gesture will make a difference.

Guy Laliberte became Space Adventures’ seventh private spaceflight client, and first Canadian private space explorer when he launched to space on Wednesday September 30th. During his stay in space Guy embarked on the first “poetic social mission” with the aim of raising awareness for the ONE DROP Foundation. Guy hosted a 2 hour live from space event with stars from across the world coming together at live events in 14 cities around the world. Artists and world-renowned personalities who came together to raise awareness of the importance of access to clean water, included former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Peter Gabriel, Shakira, and U2

Charles Simonyi

Time in space: 25 daysAbout Charles and his spaceflight

Dr. Charles Simonyi began dreaming about spaceflight at an early age. Charles’ boyhood interest in space resulted in his selection as Hungary’s Jr. Astronaut at age 13, for which he won a trip to Moscow and met one of the first cosmonauts, Pavel Popovich. Today, Dr. Simonyi is a trained pilot in multi-engine aircraft with current licenses in jets and helicopters and more than 2,000 hours of flying time.

Dr. Simonyi’s goals for both his missions was to advance civilian space flight, assist space station research, and involve the world’s youth in the science of space travel. He is convinced that one day, humans will travel and live comfortably in space. Charles documented both his spaceflights extensively on his mission website, www.charlesinspace.com.

“You know, every part had its highlights, and they just kept coming and coming. Arriving at the space station, for example. I knew that that would be magic, and it was beyond my wildest dreams.”

— Dr. Charles Simonyi

Richard Garriot

Time in space: 12 days

Richard Garriott, the legendary video game programmer and designer became the sixth private citizen to conduct a space mission aboard the International Space Station in the Fall of 2008. Richard followed in the footsteps of his father, Owen Garriott a former NASA astronaut and became America’s first “second generation” astronaut. While Owen joined the NASA astronaut corps and completed two space missions during his career, Richard has helped to usher in another new era in manned space exploration.

Richard’s main objective for his mission was to encourage commercial participation. By fostering the involvement of individuals, companies and organizations in his spaceflight Richard hoped to demonstrate that there is commercial potential in private space exploration, while furthering the understanding of space. Richard demonstrated this by taking on various commercial projects, corporate sponsors for his mission activities and by helping companies market their products though their association with an actual space mission.

Anousheh Ansari

An active proponent of world-changing technologies, Anousheh Ansari has dreamed of space exploration since childhood, and her family provided the title sponsorship for the Ansari X Prize. A living example of the American dream, Anousheh immigrated to the United States as a teenager who did not speak English. Anousheh dedicated her mission to creating public awareness for private spaceflight, inspiring youth to pursue their goals and promoting peace and understanding amongst nations. Like Dr. Olsen, Anousheh conducted experiments on behalf of the European Space Agency while she was in orbit. Anousheh became the first female private space explorer.

“By reaching this dream I’ve had since childhood, I hope to tangibly demonstrate to young people all over the world that there is no limit to what they can accomplish.”

— Anousheh Ansari

Time in space: 9 days

Dr. Olsen read a New York Times article about Space Adventures’ plans for offering the private missions to the International Space Station. The article said that spaceflight participants would be able to take part as tourists, researchers, and explorers in these flight opportunities, and this captured Dr. Olsen’s imagination. While on orbit he communicated with students from his hometown via ham radio and took part in research on behalf of the European Space Agency.

“As all astronauts tell you, whatever you think now, once you get up there, its better.” — Dr. Greg Olsen

Mark Shuttleworth

Time in space: 8 days

Mark Shuttleworth wanted to be the first African to fly in space. An Internet entrepreneur, Shuttleworth turned to Space Adventures to realize his dream. Dedicating his flight to educating South African youth and conducting scientific research, Shuttleworth returned from space a national hero. He now shares his experience and the excitement it generates with students across Africa, inspiring the next generation of explorers.

Mark conducted several experiments during his 10-day space flight. One experiment was the very first in the world to assess the impact of zero-gravity on the development of stem cells and embryos. Another was to determine the effect of microgravity on the cardiovascular system and muscles. A third was an attempt to crystallise HIV proteins in weightlessness in the hopes that, when X-rayed, they will give an accurate view of the virus structure. These experiments are being managed by world-class South African scientists from the Universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Port Elizabeth, in collaboration with Russian space-science experts. More at

www.africaninspace.com/scientists/index.shtml

“An experience like that changes your perspective on life and on the world.…”

— Mark Shuttleworth

Dennis Tito

Time in space: 7 days

Dennis Tito is the world’s first private space explorer. For him, the journey to space was the completion of a long-held dream. In the early ’70s, Tito left a job at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to pursue a career in finance, but he never stopped dreaming about spaceflight. Space Adventures helped Tito fulfill his life’s passion and make history by becoming the world’s first private citizen to fly to the International Space Station.

“For me, it was like being in heaven — it was like being in a second life.” — Dennis Tito

TRAINING AND PREPARATION

While the highlight is obviously the spaceflight itself, the training and preparation is a very rewarding experience in itself. Space Adventures will ensure you are appropriately trained and prepared using state of the art facilities, simulators and methods.

The price of the spaceflight depends on a number of factors and the we are happy to discuss with you further.  Please contact us for details.

VIDEO GALLERY

PHOTO GALLERY

Richard Garriott on board the International Space Station (2008). 14666304101_a4fe98a080_b

The ever-changing view of Earth.

The International Space Station is in low-Earth orbit, 400km above Earth.

Soyuz rocket being transported to the launch pad 14690344813_02e0f01dfc_h

The new cupola is a great place to take photos of Earth. 14669513505_9afa4ae633_b

Your journey to the International Space Station begins in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. 14669511605_09c238c7cb_b

Greg Olsen on board the International Space Station (2005). 14669510485_9c7718e137_b

The Soyuz spacecraft approaching the International Space Station. 14669175642_f2635fc615_b

The ever-changing view of Earth. 14667204974_a4641c516c_b

The new cupola is a great place to take photos of Earth. 14667203464_30d639b902_b

The International Space Station has a permanent crew of up to 6 professionals. 14667201664_80386e5fb2_b

The new cupola is a great place to take photos of Earth. 14667201274_995028fe17_b

It takes just over 8 minutes to reach low-Earth orbit. 14482823910_8c4975e9c0_b

Anousheh Ansari on board the International Space Station (2006). 14666303971_c47b769289_b

The International Space Station circles the Earth every 90 minutes. 14666300111_fdf7638fa6_b

You can get involved in space station science. 14666298891_f33487c6ae_b

You launch on a Soyuz rocket. 14483817618_2a2d9ce6f6_b

You and your fellow crew report for launch. 14483812568_d10f85e222_b

While in space you float weightless. 14483051967_543ec8e005_b

Earth and the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the International Space Station. 14482881838_bfc70680a6_b

A great place to take photos of Earth. 14482881018_a407462a7f_b

On board the International Space Station. 14482853169_1710c630cf_b

Guy Laliberte on board the International Space Station (2009). 14482852809_c422039118_b

Life on the International Space Station. 14482828440_c995c05b83_b

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Privacy overview.

What will space tourists get when they fly with SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic? Spacesuits, sleeping bags ... and Jeff Bezos

• Virgin Galactic's $250,000 ticket to the edge of space includes a spacesuit.
• Passengers paying $55 million for SpaceX's mission to the ISS get sleeping bags, hygiene products.
• Blue Origin's $28 million spaceflight comes with a seat next to Jeff Bezos.
• See more stories on Insider's business page .

The era of space tourism has dawned.

Richard Branson  is scheduled to blast off in Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity on Sunday for the company's first fully-crewed rocket-powered test flight .

If the launch goes ahead as planned, he'll be 9 days ahead of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who plans to travel to the edge of space on July 20 in Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft.

Meanwhile, SpaceX's private mission with Axiom Space is scheduled to fly four passengers to the International Space Station (ISS) in early 2022.

Read more: As Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson blast off, here are 11 of the most exciting space startups according to VCs

The journeys certainly aren't cheap. Trips aboard Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity will cost passengers $250,000 apiece. A seat on Blue Origin's New Shepard craft was auctioned off at $28 million in June. And the four passengers traveling to the ISS on SpaceX's Crew Dragon will pay a cool $55 million a head.

The question is, what bang will they get for their buck?

SpaceX and Axiom

A ticket for Axiom's mission to the ISS will include:

• Mission planning
• Life support
• Medical support
• Crew provisions
• Eight days aboard the ISS

Staying on the ISS costs the astronauts about $6.8 million a day, NASA told The Verge in January.

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According to NASA's 2021 price list , it should cost $2,000 per crew member per day for food and drinks aboard the ISS. It'll also cost each person as much as $1,500 per day   for things like clothing, hygiene products, office supplies, and sleeping bags.

Blue Origin

The unnamed winner of Blue Origin's auction will accompany Jeff Bezos and his brother on an 11-minute trip on the New Shepard craft. For their $28 million they will be getting:

• On-site accommodation

Blue Origin hasn't yet disclosed commercial seat prices for flights on New Shepard.

Before stepping aboard, passengers must show they can deal with heights, walk on uneven surfaces, and support up to three times their weight, Insider previously reported.

"There are a couple days of training in advance of the flight," a Blue Origin spokesperson told Insider in June. "Some of the training includes learning procedures for getting into and out of the capsule, a mission simulation, and learning techniques for how to move around in zero-g."

Virgin Galactic

Around 600 customers across 58 countries have already forked out up to $250,000  for a seat on Virgin Galactic's Unity spacecraft, which will take them to the edge of space.

A spokesperson from Virgin Galactic told Insider that the ticket includes:

• A spacesuit

Unlike Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, Unity won't pass the Kármán line, an imaginary boundary between the atmosphere and space. When Virgin Galactic's Unity reaches this height, passengers will experience several minutes of weightlessness before the spacecraft returns to Earth.

Branson, 70, has gone through months of training in preparation for his flight, which is scheduled for July 11.

Watch: How SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic plan on taking you to space

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Space Tourism: How Much Does it Cost & Who's Offering It?

Last Updated: December 17, 2022

Many of us dream of going to space and over 600 people have traveled to space as astronauts in government-funded agencies such as NASA, the European Space Agency, and Roscosmos. But how much does spaceflight cost in today and how is that expected to change in the coming years? 

With new advancements in spaceflight technology, the costs of space travel are decreasing, making the dream of spaceflight a little closer for us all.

Evolution of Spaceflight Costs and Technologies

During the space race, the cost of sending something into space averaged between $6,000 to over $25,000 per kg of weight not adjusted for inflation and NASA spent $28 billion to land astronauts on the moon, about $288 billion in today’s dollars.

In recent decades, it has averaged around $10,000 per kg though certain missions have been higher due to other factors including the destination, the size of the rocket, the amount of fuel needed, and the cost of fuel. 

After the retirement of the space shuttle program, NASA paid Russia to transport astronauts to the ISS at about $80 million per seat on the Soyuz rocket. NASA’s biggest and newest rocket, the SLS (Space Launch System) which is currently being utilized for the new moon missions including Artemis and Orion, currently costs about $2-4 billion per launch.

But recent years and the addition of private space companies have drastically changed the game. NASA allowed private space companies to develop equipment for missions, including a 2006 partnership with SpaceX under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to provide resupply for crew and cargo demonstration contracts to the International Space Station (ISS). 

This partnership has continued to flourish over the years with SpaceX successfully launching two NASA astronauts in May 2020 on a Crew Dragon Spacecraft, making SpaceX the first private company to send astronauts to the ISS and the first crewed orbital launch from American soil in 9 years.

With the revolutionary technology of reusable boosters from SpaceX, the cost has plummeted, achieving less than $1,600 per kg with the Falcon Heavy (still totaling more than $100 million per launch) and even a projected cost of under a thousand for their next generation model Star Ship.

 These recent innovations are even making SLS the more expensive, less efficient option if SpaceX’s projections continue to progress as expected within margins of error. We shall see how NASA plans to adapt goals in light of this.

The Falcon Heavy is a cost-effective option for launching payloads into space.

The rise of private space companies

With private space companies, the opportunity for civilians to book a trip to space similar to booking a flight came closer to reality. Dennis Tito was the first private citizen to pay for a trip to space with a trip to the ISS from April 28th to May 6th, 2001 for $20 million dollars. Tito purchased his experience through Space Adventures Inc. which was founded in 1998 and offers a variety of different space experiences. They even acquired Zero Gravity Corporation, NASA’s provider of Reduced Gravity Training (not in space) for its astronauts, in 2008. They offer similar experiences for private individuals starting at about $8,200 as of this publishing (December 2022).

Space Adventures sent seven other space tourists to the ISS through 2009, but due to a number of factors, Space Adventures had to put their ISS offerings on hold until 2021 when they were able to purchase two Soyuz seats due to NASA moving their contract to SpaceX. Space Adventures sent two people to the ISS via the Roscosmos Soyuz rocket in December 2021 and is working on expanding its offerings.

In addition to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, there are a number of other private space companies getting into the commercial spaceflight/ space tourism market, most notably Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origins.

Flight Providers & Rates

What are the current rates for commercial spaceflight tickets? What commercial spaceflight trips have already happened? All prices are per person/ per seat.

SpaceX has had the most experience in sending humans to space thanks to its partnership with NASA and Musk has made it clear that he wants to make space travel an option for the public. To date, SpaceX has offered two commercial spaceflight options and has one big one planned for the future:

• SpaceX completed a Multi-Day Orbital Voyage, the first of their new plan to offer private astronaut experiences through their NASA partnership.  
• Estimated $55 million for a 3-day stay inside a modified SpaceX Dragon capsule orbiting the Earth at 357 miles (574 km) with three crewmates, sponsored by billionaire Jared Isaacman to raise money for St Jude’s Children’s Hospital
• Partnership between SpaceX and Houston-based Axiom Space Inc.
• $55 million for a 10-day trip to ISS at 408 km with a weeklong (8-day) stay in the orbital lab. 
• Expected to continue in 2023
• Axiom plans to build a stand-alone space station to replace the ISS with the first module expected to launch in 2024.
• Steve Aoki: American DJ and record producer
• Everyday Astronaut Tim Dodd: American science communicator, content creator, photographer, and musician
• Yemi A.D.: Czech choreographer, art director and performer
• Rhiannon Adam: Irish photographer
• Karim Iliya: British photographer and filmmaker
• Brendan Hall: American filmmaker and photographer
• Dev Joshi: Indian television actor
• Choi Seung-hyun (stage name: T.O.P.): South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor
• Cost is unknown, likely a minimum of $500 million

2. Blue Origin

Blue Origin: currently offers a 100km 12-minute ride to the Karman Line, the recognized boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space; pricing is still unclear and dependent on a variety of factors 

• On July 2021, Jeff and Mark Bezos went into space on the New Shepard rocket with Oliver Daemen (who won the trip through an auction bid of around 28 million) and honored guest Wally Funk (a member of Mercury 13, the private program in which women trained to be astronauts but ultimately never went to space)
• Blue Origin has completed 6 commercial space flights as of this publishing. Some “honorable guests” have been invited free of charge, such as Funk and actor William Shatner (Captain Kirk from the original Star Trek). Some have been sponsored or have received special deals due to their nonprofit status.
• $28 million winning auction bid for the first flight ( $19 million was donated)
• $1 million for a board member of a nonprofit
• About $1.25 for a Dude Perfect comedy group crew member, hosted by MoonDAO in August 2022

3. Virgin Galactic Subortbital Joy Ride

Virgin Galactic Subortbital Joy Ride: $450,000 for a 90-minute ride to suborbital space 50km above sea level 

• In July 2021, founder Richard Branson flew to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere with two pilots and three other Virgin Galactic employees as the first test of commercial spaceflight for the company
• Each VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo carries up to four passengers
• Expected flights are currently anticipated to begin in 2023 
• Includes training accommodations and amenities; launches from New Mexico

4. Roscosmos/ Space Adventures Customized ISS Trip

Roscosmos/ Space Adventures Customized ISS Trip: $50-60million for a 12-day trip to the ISS at 408 km

• In October 2021 an actress and director shot scenes for the first movie filmed in space
• December 2021 Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano for two days (same billionaire planning to go to the moon with SpaceX)
• With the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, this option is effectively nonexistent currently

5. Space Perspective

Space Perspective: a six-hour balloon ride to space/ the stratosphere on their “Spaceship Neptune” at $125,000

• Rides are currently scheduled to begin by the end of 2024. 
• A pressurized capsule will be slowly lifted by a football-field-sized hydrogen-filled balloon 19 miles (30 km) into the stratosphere, about 3 times the altitude of commercial planes. 
• The passenger cabin features a bar, bathroom, and windows for sightseeing and is expected to carry 8 passengers and 1 pilot per trip.

6. Aurora Space Station (no longer in development)

Aurora Space Station was supposed to be the world’s first luxury space hotel, offering a 12-day stay for $9.5 million allowing them to free float, observe space and earth, practice hydroponics and play in a hologram deck, but they shut down operations and refunded all deposits in March 2021. They received a lot of media attention and therefore are noted here due to that notoriety.

Conclusion: the current cost of flying to space

Currently, it is only available to those who can spend an average of $250,000 to $500,000 for suborbital trips (about a fifteen-minute ride to the edge of space and back) or flights to actual orbit at more than $50 million per seat (though typically a longer trip than 15 minutes).

It could be free/ discounted if you can find a sponsor, often for nonprofit/ charity purposes, or if you are someone of notoriety that can help spread the company’s mission. 

Waitlists are available for most offerings, with a deposit, with many stretching years into the future, which might end up helping you have a spot at a more reasonable price in the future if you can save up.

Many companies are looking to provide extended stay options on private space stations in the future, similar to how you might book a flight somewhere and stay in a hotel for a few days. Again, for the immediate future, this is estimated to cost tens of millions of dollars. The biggest portion of the cost would be launching them, though it is still estimated that a couple million dollars will be needed to cover the expenses of your stay while you are on the space station, whether that is included in the ticket price or added on top of that.

Many companies are hopeful they can eventually price a trip to space down to $100,000 but that will likely take some time, even with the cost-saving measures of reusable boosters. Many forms of recent technology have evolved exponentially in recent years and with dropping price rates as well. Just as plane travel was originally prohibitively expensive, but has now become fairly reasonable for the average consumer, the hope is that the same will eventually happen with space tourism, but we will have to see how long that takes. 

While the possibility of going to space is still out of reach for many of us, hopefully, the advancements in recent years and those yet to come will help to continually lower the costs of going to space, just as has occurred in many other fields. This author, for one, truly hopes that the interest of the elite who are currently able to participate in these offerings will spur research and development, not just of space tourism but space exploration in general, to help fuel a quicker journey to space access for all

Written by Sarah Hoffschwelle

Sarah Hoffschwelle is a freelance writer who covers a combination of topics including astronomy, general science and STEM, self-development, art, and societal commentary. In the past, Sarah worked in educational nonprofits providing free-choice learning experiences for audiences ages 2-99. As a lifelong space nerd, she loves sharing the universe with others through her words. She currently writes on Medium at  https://medium.com/@sarah-marie  and authors self-help and children’s books.

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Daniel Oberhaus

Here’s What a $52 Million Ticket to the ISS Will Get You

So you have $52 million burning a hole in your pocket and just can’t decide what to do with it. Buy a private island ? Too cliché. A new McLaren ? You have enough of those. Pay off college administrators ? Your kids have already graduated. But have you considered a stay at the International Space Station, the world’s premiere space hotel ?

This is the proposal put forth last week by billionaire hotelier Robert Bigelow, whose company, Bigelow Space Operations, says it will send up to 16 private astronauts to the ISS in the coming years. Bigelow says $52 million will buy you a seat on a SpaceX rocket and a one- to two-month stay in orbit. This depends, of course, on SpaceX getting its commercial crew operations off the ground, which it expects to do by 2020. There aren’t many further details about Bigelow’s plans, but since 2018 he’s put down “substantial sums” to reserve four future SpaceX flights specifically for orbital tourism. (Bigelow has also promised space hotels by 2021, a timeline that is optimistic at best.)

A trip to space is definitely a luxury, but life in orbit? Anything but. In fact, when NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has spent more time in space than any other American, returned from her last trip to the ISS and was asked to describe her experience, she said, “I would call it a camping trip.” Camping … in space? If that sounds like a good time, here’s what the ultra-rich can expect during their stay at the space station.

The ISS is the largest object ever put into space, but by terrestrial standards it’s still pretty cramped. The station has a pressurized volume of only 32,333 cubic feet, which is about the same as a Boeing 747. But only a third of that is habitable. Unlike a private jet, this space will be shared 24/7 by up to 10 people—six government astronauts and four private astronauts. Sounds like a recipe for cabin fever, but if Scott Kelly could spend a full year on the station , what’s one or two months?

Sleeping accommodations on the ISS are cozy. Each astronaut gets their own sleeping pod, which is just big enough to fit a person and a laptop mounted on the opposite wall. Tourists on the ISS don’t need to worry about bringing a pillow or blanket, either. Pillows are superfluous in space , and their blanket will be a sleeping bag strapped to the wall. Sweet dreams!

The ISS has a kitchen, but if tourists are expecting farm-to-table fare they’ll be very disappointed. An astronaut’s diet involves a lot of rehydrated power foods, but comfort foods like brownies and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are also available. Hopefully the tourists like tortillas, because there will be a lot of them .

Nothing goes better with endless burritos than a little tequila, but the ISS is drier than an AA meeting. NASA tried to get some booze into orbit back in the ’70s, but the negative public reaction over sending sherry to the Skylab space station quickly killed the plan.

Emily Mullin

Angela Watercutter

Kate O'Flaherty

As for the bathroom situation, well, its slightly better than digging a latrine on a camping trip, but not by much. To urinate, astronauts pee into a vacuum funnel in a high-tech porta potty. Defecating is pretty much the same, but more perilous. Astronauts need to make sure their excrement hits a roughly dish-sized hole, which suctions it into a plastic bag. This is a good incentive for ISS tourists to make sure they’re eating enough fiber, because if the toilet gets backed up or too full, well, let’s just put it this way: In space, everything floats, and someone’s got to wrangle it.

The ISS isn’t just a poop rodeo, however. During a tourist’s month in space, there will be plenty of time for leisure. They’ll be able to drift around the cupola, taking in a view of Earth that only a few hundred people in history have ever enjoyed. They’ll be able to float through the station catching M&Ms in zero g, pump some iron in the ISS gym , or maybe make a few funny videos to send home to friends. Data will cost $50 per gigabyte, but if you’ve already paid $52 million to get there, what’s a few grand more to tweet from orbit?

This is all a good way to spend a day or two, but how to spend the rest of the month? The astronauts surely have some good stories, but they won’t be around to shoot the breeze. NASA plans their days down to the minute, and most of the time they’ll be doing science experiments or station maintenance. How about a spacewalk? This is, at best, unlikely. The suits used for extravehicular activities are basically personal spacecraft and cost over $10 million each. Aside from that, hanging out in the vacuum of space is dangerous business. Astronauts have nearly drowned and run out of oxygen in their suits, so it’s probably best left to those who have spent their whole careers training for it.

If that still sounds like a good way to spend a month, Bigelow is taking reservations. It’d probably be a good idea to inquire about the refund policy, however. When space tourism on the ISS was first getting started in the early 2000s, only seven tourists managed to catch a ride on a Russian Soyuz rocket before the tourist program was put on hiatus. One would-be Japanese astronaut sued the space tourism company Space Adventures to recoup a $21 million down payment on a flight that never happened due to medical reasons. More recently, nearly 300 people lost the majority of their $100,000 down payment to fly to space with Xcor Aerospace when the company went bankrupt. Caveat emptor!

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SpaceX tourist trips to space station reportedly to cost $55M each

Axiom Space signed a contract with Elon Musk's rocket company, and could bring tourists to space in 2021.

Getting up to the International Space Station could cost you $55 million.

A trio of space tourists will blast off to the International Space Station (ISS) in a SpaceX capsule, after Axiom Space made a deal with Elon Musk's company on Thursday. The first 10-day trip could happen in the latter half of next year, the company said in a release .

However, it won't be cheap -- a seat could set you back around $55 million, the New York Times reported , and one person has already signed up. Two days will be spent traveling to and from the space station, and eight on board. The tourists will be accompanied by an Axiom astronaut who'll make sure they don't distract the ISS crewmembers.

"This will be just the first of many missions to ISS to be completely crewed and managed by Axiom Space -- a first for a commercial entity,"  Axiom boss Michael T. Suffredini said in a statement. "Procuring the transportation marks significant progress toward that goal, and we're glad to be working with SpaceX in this effort."

The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the cost of a trip.

Axiom is the second space tourism company SpaceX has signed a contract with in recent weeks -- Space Adventures said it'll launch private citizens to orbit in a Crew Dragon capsule too. That orbital flight will last up to five days, but won't dock with the ISS.

Space cheese and other weird items we've sent into orbit

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The Economy Aboard The International Space Station

Cardiff Garcia

Stacey Vanek Smith

For astronauts living at the International Space Station, money is practically useless. There's nowhere to spend it. Instead astronauts developed a functioning barter economy.

Copyright © 2021 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Want to Take a 10-Day Trip to the Space Station? It'll Cost You $55 Million

You can now sign up for a 10-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) — if you've got $55 million to spare.

That's the price just announced by Axiom Space , a Houston-based company that's organizing expeditions to the ISS and working to build the first commercial space station. The $55 million covers the orbital stay, transportation to and from the ISS, and a 15-week astronaut-training program.

Axiom Space aims to launch its first customers in 2020, company representatives said. [ 6 Private Deep-Space Habitats Paving the Way to Mars ]

"It is an honor to continue the work that NASA and its partners have begun, to bring awareness to the profound benefits of human space exploration and to involve more countries and private citizens in these endeavors," Axiom Space CEO and President Michael Suffredini, who managed NASA's ISS program for a decade, said in a statement.

Axiom Space is also developing its own station, the modules of which will launch toward, and link up with, the ISS. The Axiom station will be ready to accommodate paying passengers by 2022 if all goes according to plan, company representatives have said.

The commercial outpost will still be attached to the ISS at that point. When the huge, $100 billion orbital outpost is ready to be deorbited, the Axiom station will detach and begin flying freely. (Exactly when this will happen is unclear; the ISS is currently funded through 2024, but it's possible that operations could be extended beyond that date.)

The commercial station's interiors are being designed in partnership with French architect Philippe Starck, so they'll be quite a bit different from the utilitarian spaces of the ISS.

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"This is a dream project for a creator like me with a genuine fascination for aviation and space exploration," Starck said in the same statement. "The greatest human intelligence in the world focuses on space research. My vision for the habitation module on Axiom Station is to create a comfortable egg that is inviting, with soft walls and a design perfectly in harmony with the values and movements of the human body in zero gravity."

Tourists have visited the ISS before. Seven folks took a total of eight trips to the orbiting lab from 2001 through 2009, paying an estimated $20 million to $40 million each time. 

And Axiom Space isn't the only company working to develop a commercial space station. For example, in April, a startup called Orion Span announced that it aims to have a " luxury space hotel " operating in Earth orbit by 2022. 

Bigelow Aerospace , a company that makes expandable space habitats, has also expressed a desire to set up outposts in Earth orbit, as well as in other locales, such as the surface of the moon.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+ . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook or Google+ . Originally published on Space.com .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with  Space.com  and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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The World's First Space Tourist Arrived at the International Space Station 20 Years Ago — Here's What He Says About the Trip

Dennis Tito, the world's first space tourist, spent eight days at the International Space Station in 2001.

Jessica Poitevien is an international storyteller and regular contributor to Travel + Leisure.

Space tourism once seemed like an idea for the distant future, but with the world's first space hotel set to open in 2027 and companies like SpaceX , Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic vying to make space travel more broadly available, it seems like the future is now.

And it all started 20 years ago, when U.S. millionaire Dennis Tito became the world's first space tourist .

On April 30, 2001, Tito, then 60, accomplished what was a lifelong dream of his when he arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on a Russian Soyuz rocket. The trip cost him $20 million, but reflecting on the moment two decades later, Tito still feels the experience was worth every penny.

"The pencils started floating in the air, and I could see the blackness of space and the curvature of the Earth," he told CNN Travel . "I was euphoric. I mean, it was the greatest moment of my life, to achieve a life objective, and I knew then that nothing could ever beat this."

Though Tito was working in finance when he launched into orbit, he had originally started his career in aeronautics and astronautics and kept his dream of going to space alive for several decades, CNN Travel reports. For Tito, outer space was something that had fascinated him since childhood.

According to CNN Travel , NASA was against the idea of sending civilians to space, so in 1991, Tito turned to the Soviet Union and began conversations about paying to join the country's space mission. Later in that decade, he resumed those conversations before his eventual flight in 2001.

"In the late '90s, the Russians were really hurting for funding of this space program and the bottom line was, I figured out, 'Huh, maybe I could get involved with the Russians,'" he told CNN Travel .

Eventually, on April 28, 2001, Tito took off on his journey to the ISS with two Russian cosmonauts by his side. They arrived at the station two days later.

"I just enjoyed looking at the window, videoing the Earth, the portholes, the station. It was just wonderful," Tito told CNN Travel . "It just was — whatever I had expected, the best I had expected times 10. It was the best experience of my whole life, those eight days."

Though only a handful of other ultra-wealthy people have managed to pay their way onto a space mission since Tito first paved the way, he is keeping an eye on the industry's development, hoping more people will get to experience what he did.

"I just wish them the best," he said to CNN Travel . "I am hopeful they will have the wonderful experience that I had."

Jessica Poitevien is a Travel + Leisure contributor currently based in South Florida, but she's always on the lookout for her next adventure. Besides traveling, she loves baking, talking to strangers, and taking long walks on the beach. Follow her adventures on Instagram .

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Boeing Starliner Flight of NASA Astronauts Is Scrubbed

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will have to wait for another day to fly to the International Space Station in an orbital capsule that has already faced years of costly technical delays.

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Kenneth Chang

What happens next with the delayed NASA astronaut launch.

NASA astronauts will have to wait until at least the end of next week to launch to orbit in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The planned launch was called off Monday night because of a problem in the Atlas V rocket that was to send them to space.

On Tuesday night, NASA announced that the two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, would remain on the ground until May 17 at the earliest. Earlier in the day, the agency had said a launch later this week, perhaps on Friday, might be possible.

United Launch Alliance, the maker of the Atlas V, said the rocket would be rolled back from the launchpad to replace a valve that regulates pressure in the oxygen tank in the second stage.

That further postponed the first-ever crewed flight of Starliner, a ride for NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Space Station, which has experienced a series of costly delays over the past several years.

About three hours before the scheduled launch time of 10:34 p.m. Eastern time, just as the astronauts arrived at the launchpad, the valve started to buzz at a rate of about 40 times a second. Crews at the launchpad described hearing an “unusual audible” to flight controllers.

The flight preparations continued with Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams boarding the spacecraft. But at 8:34 p.m. Eastern time, two hours before the scheduled liftoff, United Launch Alliance, the company that builds and manages the rocket, called off the flight.

Tory Bruno, the chief executive of U.L.A., said this behavior had been observed previously during some other Atlas V launches, and opening and closing the valve typically stops the buzzing.

But for a launch of astronauts, U.L.A. had made a rule not to do anything that might change the status of the rocket when the astronauts were present, including opening and closing a valve. That was not by itself a dangerous action, but it still would have added uncertainty.

“Our philosophy is we don’t have to change the state of the vehicle when the people are there, so we won’t,” Mr. Bruno said in a Monday night news conference along with officials from NASA and Boeing.

After the astronauts exited Starliner and returned to their crew quarters, the valve was closed and the buzzing stopped. But the oscillations recurred twice as propellant was drained from tanks.

After reviewing the data, U.L.A.’s engineers concluded that the valve had exceeded the limit of the number of times it could be reliably opened and closed and that it needed to be replaced.

Boeing was one of two companies that won a contract to build a spacecraft to fly astronauts to and from the space station several years after NASA retired its space shuttles in 2011. For nine years, astronauts could get to the International Space Station only aboard Russia’s Soyuz rockets.

The other company was SpaceX. In May 2020, two NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, flew to the I.S.S. in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. That capsule has since become the only way to get to orbit from the United States.

The development of Starliner took Boeing far longer than it had expected. Technical pitfalls included inadequate software testing, corroded propellant valves, flammable tape and a key component in parachute system that turned out to be weaker than designed. Boeing fixed the problems, and it was finally ready to launch. The delays have left Boeing facing more than $1.4 billion in unexpected charges.

While Monday’s scrubbed flight was caused by the rocket, the postponed launch attempt comes during a tough 2024 for the aerospace giant. Just days into the year, a panel on the body of a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight. The pilots were able to safely land the plane, and there were no major injuries, but the episode has had widespread repercussions for the company, particularly its aviation division.

Niraj Chokshi contributed reporting.

Michael Roston

NASA has concluded their live broadcast for the evening. A news conference announcing whether another attempt could be made tomorrow could happen in the hours to come.

Wilmore and Williams have exited the astro van and returned to the crew building. They were greeted at the door by several NASA astronauts wearing their usual blue coveralls. While that’s the last we’ll probably see of the astronauts for the night, journalists at Kennedy Space Center are waiting for an update from United Launch Launch Alliance, Boeing and NASA on whether the crew could try again on Tuesday.

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Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are on the move again, but horizontally rather than vertically. They descended the launch tower and boarded the astro van, which is driving them back to the astronaut crew quarters at Kennedy Space Center.

Technicians have reentered the spacecraft and just helped Suni Williams exit the spacecraft. She has raised her helmet and removed her headset. Butch Wilmore will exit next.

Wimore is now back in the “white room” with his helmet off. The pad team helped him and Williams put white booties over their flight suit boots, likely to protect them from the ground.

The crew will now prepare to leave Starliner. Once they exit, they will board the astro van, which is returning to pick up the astronauts from the launchpad. In essenece, they’ll do every step of the last couple of hours in reverse. Another important step is to drain propellants from the rocket.

We are waiting to hear more about the problem with an oxygen relief valve on the second stage. If there is an easy fix, there is another launch opportunity tomorrow night.

Niraj Chokshi

The Starliner project has cost Boeing $1.4 billion more than it planned to spend.

Monday’s Starliner launch has been almost a decade in the making, but it has not been an easy ride for Boeing. In 2014, NASA awarded contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX, which received far less funding, carried astronauts into orbit for the first time in 2020. Boeing hopes to achieve that milestone on Monday.

Along the way, the aerospace giant has faced many setbacks, including years of delays and more than $1.4 billion in unexpected charges. In securities filings, Boeing has blamed engineering issues and supply chain problems, higher-than-expected costs for development, certification and testing, and even a problem identified in testing by a parachute supplier.

“Building rockets and spacecraft is no trivial task,” said Ron Epstein, a financial analyst at Bank of America. “It’s just taken Boeing longer and cost them more to do than they thought.”

The setbacks underscore a broader frustration for Boeing’s defense and space business: Fixed-price contracts, under which contractors bear responsibility for higher-than-expected costs. Under a cost-plus contract, on the other hand, the government is responsible for covering unexpected expenses.

Fixed-price contracts are financially risky for companies if costs rise or delays materialize — and Boeing has struggled under them in recent years. Such contracts accounted for about 58 percent of the revenues coming into the defense and space unit last year and the company has said that it is working to limit its reliance on them. (SpaceX, by contrast, has thrived on fixed-price contracts.)

“We have a couple of fixed-price development programs we have to just finish and never do them again,” Dave Calhoun, Boeing’s chief executive, said at an investor conference last summer. “It doesn’t work for us and it doesn’t work for our customers, in my not-so-humble opinion.”

Although the company has faced delays, a Boeing representative said in a statement that the company remains, “committed to providing NASA with a crew access capability to low Earth orbit and that it “will continue to fulfill our contractual obligations.”

The launch tonight has been scrubbed because of a problem with an oxygen valve. The crew will now prepare to leave Starliner, and propellants will be drained from the rocket.

The propellant tanks for the Atlas V rocket holding kerosene and liquid oxygen are full already. Rockets have traditionally been fueled before astronauts board to avoid danger to the astronauts during that process. But SpaceX does the opposite for its Crew Dragon missions; propellants flow into the Falcon 9 tanks close to the launch time, after astronauts are already strapped in. That allows the propellants to be chilled colder, increasing the density and the amount of propellant. SpaceX believes this is just as safe.

Suni Williams, the pilot of the Starliner flight to the space station, has boarded the capsule and is getting situated in her seat with the help of Boeing technicians. NASA’s commentators say that the crew is ahead of schedule, giving them more time to work out any issues in the capsule before the the 10:34 p.m. Eastern liftoff time.

Now boarding #Starliner is #CFT mission pilot Suni Williams, a retired U.S. Navy captain and veteran of two previous spaceflights as a long-duration resident aboard the space station. pic.twitter.com/lUbcEUOpZA — ULA (@ulalaunch) May 7, 2024

Four years ago, the test flight of SpaceX Crew Dragon with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken attracted a multitude of reporters from around the world. Not surprisingly, the media turnout for this Boeing launch is sparser with plenty of empty seats here at the Kennedy Space Center press site.

Reporting on Boeing and other companies in the aviation industry.

This has been a trying year for Boeing.

Boeing has had a tough 2024.

Just days into the new year, a Boeing 737 Max 9 suffered a near-catastrophic failure near Portland, Ore., when a panel on the plane’s body blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight. The pilots were able to safely land the plane and there were no major injuries, but the episode has had widespread repercussions for the company.

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Max 9 jets within the United States for about three weeks, a headache for Alaska and United Airlines, which rely on the plane. The agency also immediately increased its scrutiny of Boeing and limited the rate at which the company can build the Max at its Seattle-area factory.

On Monday, the F.A.A. said it had opened a new investigation into the company after learning from Boeing that it may have skipped some required inspections involving the wings of 787 Dreamliner jets.

Since the Alaska Airlines incident, Boeing has taken steps to assure regulators and the public of the quality of its planes by stepping up inspections, expanding training and taking other measures. The company has since shaken up its leadership: The chairman of its board stepped down and its chief executive said he would leave by the end of the year.

The company is also in talks to buy Spirit AeroSystems, a troubled supplier that makes the body of the Max, and which had been a part of Boeing until it was spun off two decades ago.

The episode further damaged Boeing’s reputation after two fatal crashes, in 2018 and 2019, of Max 8 planes, a smaller variant of the 737 Max 9, in which 346 people died. The Max had been banned globally for nearly two years after those crashes. But from late 2020 when flight resumed up until this year, it had enjoyed a relatively smooth run.

Much of the fallout has been limited to Boeing’s commercial planes business, which is distinct from the company’s other two divisions: One that makes military aircraft, missiles, satellites, spacecraft and rockets, and another that provides maintenance and services to the company’s customers.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams reached the launchpad, took the elevator up the launch tower and are entering the Starliner capsule with the help of technicians after the two astronauts had a brief huddle with their assisting crew. Wilmore, the spacecraft's commander is getting seated first, and Williams, the pilot, will follow.

First to board #Starliner tonight is #CFT mission commander Butch Wilmore, a retired U.S. Navy captain and veteran of two previous spaceflights to the space station. pic.twitter.com/53bX69LlJR — ULA (@ulalaunch) May 6, 2024

Does NASA need two rides to the space station? Elon Musk says no.

Four years ago, SpaceX flew its equivalent of this week’s Starliner mission — the first launch of the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft with two NASA astronauts aboard.

The agency celebrated loudly as the flight ended NASA’s nearly decade-long dependence on Russia’s Soyuz rocket to send astronauts to orbit. In part, that has made the debut of Starliner on Monday night almost like an afterthought, with Boeing seemingly light-years behind SpaceX.

Indeed, on Monday, before Starliner’s launch, Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, posted on his social media site, X, “The world doesn’t need another capsule.”

In a separate posting, Mr. Musk sharply criticized Boeing. “Although Boeing got $4.2 billion to develop an astronaut capsule and SpaceX only got $2.6 billion, SpaceX finished 4 years sooner,” he wrote. “Too many non-technical managers at Boeing.”

A Boeing spokeswoman declined to comment.

While Mr. Musk might think Starliner is superfluous, NASA officials have often said it is important to have contingency options if something goes wrong.

“This will give us that additional capability because we always look for a backup,” Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, said during a news conference on Friday.

Dana Weigel, program manager of the space station for NASA, gave the example of when a Soyuz docked at the space station suffered a coolant leak in 2022 .

If the Soyuz were the only means of transportation, that could have led to a situation where the lives of the astronauts were genuinely at risk. But a SpaceX Crew Dragon was also docked there, providing a backup.

“If we had to bring the whole crew home on a SpaceX Dragon, we could have done that,” Ms. Weigel said.

For NASA, the more options it has, the better. If Crew Dragon or Starliner suffered a failure and were grounded, the other would still be available. That lessens the possibility that the United States might again have to rely on Russians and the whims of Vladimir Putin for launching people to space.

“The more dissimilar capabilities you have, the more robust you are for dealing with issues,” Ms. Weigel said.

During the Starliner delays, SpaceX has successfully launched nine Crew Dragon missions for NAS the test flight in May 2020 followed by eight operational missions that carried crews to the space station for six-month stays.

SpaceX has also launched four private astronaut missions using the same Crew Dragons. The first one, Inspiration4, was financed by Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur. While that flight went only to orbit and not to the I.S.S., Axiom Space of Houston has since flown three private astronaut missions to the space station, with a fourth that might launch as soon as August.

Mr. Isaacman is also planning to return to space later this year with another Crew Dragon mission, called Polaris Dawn, which is aiming to include the first spacewalk during a commercial spaceflight.

The astronauts have exited the building and are bidding their families and other well-wishers farewell before boarding the "astro van" that will drive them to the launchpad. During a news conference last week, Butch Wilmore gushed about it. “It’s got cushioned seats,” he said. “And of course, it’s got a big video screen in the back.” He said they watched flying scenes from “Top Gun: Maverick” during a launch rehearsal, and that was what they were going to watch again today. “We watched the beach scene as well,” Suni Williams added.

One reason Wilmore and Williams will have time to watch that big screen is because they have a drive of 20-25 minutes in the astro van. They’re traveling from Kennedy Space Center to a launchpad on neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Who are the astronauts on the Starliner flight?

For Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the wait for this trip on the Boeing Starliner has been longer than they expected.

Last week, a reporter pointed out that the two veteran astronauts trained longer for this mission than Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins had for the Apollo 11 moon landing.

“It almost feels unreal,” Ms. Williams replied.

She was born in Ohio but grew up in Massachusetts. She was a test pilot in the U.S. Navy and has more than 3,000 hours flying 30 different aircraft. She was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1998. She has spent 322 days in space and for a while held the record for total time on spacewalks by a woman.

Mr. Wilmore, a native of Tennessee, was also a Navy test pilot, and he flew combat missions over Iraq and Bosnia in the 1990s. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2000. During his two previous missions, he spent a total of 167 days in space.

Their last trips to orbit were years ago.

Ms. Williams had two long-duration stays on the International Space Station, the second ending in November 2012. Mr. Wilmore served as the pilot of a space shuttle mission in 2009, then spent 5 and a half months on the space station from September 2014 to March 2015.

After a glitch-filled test flight in December 2019 with no crew aboard, delays shuffled the astronaut assignments. Indeed, none of the astronauts that NASA named in 2018 to fly on the test flight are on the upcoming test flight.

In 2020, Mr. Wilmore was named commander of the test flight. In 2022, Ms. Williams was shifted to the test flight, serving as the pilot. (She originally was assigned to serve as the commander of the second flight, the first operational one that would take four astronauts to the space station for six months.)

Now, finally, they are about to launch.

During the question-and-answer session, Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams were asked which space food they were looking forward to eating again.

“Chocolate pudding cake,” Mr. Wilmore answered without hesitation. “There’s nothing left to be said. It’s fabulous.”

Ms. Williams added, “I think they still have muffin tops. Those are pretty awesome too.”

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Wiliams are in the process of donning their spacesuits. In this new era of commercial spaceflight, it’s the companies and not NASA that provide the spacesuits. The Boeing spacesuits are bright blue, a sharp contrast with the sleek white ones that astronauts launching on SpaceX rockets wear, or the orange ones used in the space shuttle era.

Technicians did leak checks on the suits, making them briefly puff up almost like a blue Michelin Man costume.

. @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and @Astro_Suni are in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at @NASAKennedy , suiting up for today's #Starliner Crew Flight Test. Our engineers and David Clark technicians will perform suit-up checks. pic.twitter.com/D61VQWl6po — Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) May 6, 2024

What is Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft?

At first glance, Boeing’s Starliner looks much like the command module used during NASA’s Apollo moon missions in the 1960s and 1970s.

That’s not a random coincidence. The ability of that cone-shaped vehicle to keep astronauts safe during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere has been well documented.

At 15 feet in diameter, Starliner is slightly bigger than the Apollo spacecraft. The capsule and the service module — the part of the spacecraft that provides power and propulsion during the flight before being discarded just before landing — are together 16.5 feet in height.

The spacecraft is large enough to carry up to seven astronauts, but NASA missions will carry a crew of four. Boeing has the option of selling a fifth seat to a private customer looking to tag along.

Each Starliner is designed to be used for up to 10 missions; by contrast, a service module burns up in the atmosphere, and a new one is needed for each trip.

Boeing has built three Starliner capsules. The first was used only to demonstrate the ability to quickly fly astronauts to safety in case of an emergency on the launchpad. That capsule will not be used for any missions to orbit.

The Starliner used for this mission previously flew in space in 2020 during the first uncrewed test flight, which was cut short because of technical problems. Sunita Williams, the pilot for this mission, has named the spacecraft Calypso, a nod to the research ship used by Jacques Cousteau, a French undersea explorer.

The third Starliner, still unnamed, was used for the second uncrewed test in 2022 and will fly four astronauts to the space station for the first operational mission, scheduled for next year.

NASA Commercial Crew Capsules: How the Boeing Starliner compares to the SpaceX Crew Dragon

One has already carried eight NASA crews and three private crews to the International Space Station. The other is launching on its maiden crewed flight next week.

Both can carry up to seven astronauts, or a mixture of crew and cargo. Both were designed to launch atop rockets and chase down the International Space Station, traveling 17,500 mph at 200-250 miles above Earth − orbiting our planet every 90 minutes. One splashes down in the ocean. The other “soft lands” in the desert.

The goal for both of the spacecrafts was to find a way to provide transportation to the ISS for NASA astronauts, now that the long flying Space Shuttle had been retired. Both were selected for funding with government money in 2014 under NASA’s Commercial Crew contract.

Is Starliner ready: 'We test, test and test': Boeing Starliner ready to launch astronauts

As Boeing prepares to launch its Starliner capsule on its first crewed mission as soon as 10:34 p.m. May 6 from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station , here’s what you need to know about Starliner and how it compares to SpaceX’s Dragon.

Boeing's Starliner to transport NASA astronauts

Boeing calls it the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner, or simply “Starliner” . Set to launch no earlier than May 6th, it will make history as the first spacecraft to ferry humans from Space Launch Complex 41. The pad has been the launch site for historic missions beginning with the Titan rockets in 1965 and including the New Horizons deep space probe, the Voyager spacecraft, and even the Curiosity Mars rover.

What launches Where: Years after space shuttle retirement, Florida chases nearly 70 launches a year

The site recently saw the addition of a crew access arm in preparation for the Crew Flight Test of Starliner, which will be launched with the help of a ULA (a partnership between Boeing and Lockheed Martin) Atlas V rocket. The Atlas V rocket has launched from the site since 2002, but this will be the first time it carries astronauts to space.

Don't miss the next Florida launch: Is there a launch today? Upcoming rocket launch schedule for SpaceX, ULA, NASA in Florida

Boeing Starliner named Calypso for this mission

Part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Boeing aims to have its Starliner transport NASA astronauts regularly following the success of this upcoming Crew Flight Test. Once certified by NASA, Starliner will join SpaceX’s Dragon, which has been transporting NASA crews since 2020 . Boeing currently states that NASA has purchased six additional crewed missions beyond this upcoming flight test.

According to Boeing, a Starliner crew capsule can be flown up to 10 times, with a six-month service time in between missions.

The capsule flying Monday was named Calypso by Crew Flight Test astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams. As a nod to her love for the ocean and exploration, Williams stated in 2019 that she named the capsule Calypso after the ship of Jacque Cousteau , who was an ocean explorer in the mid-20th century. That ship was remembered for its underwater observation chamber and equipment of a helicopter and submersibles, assisting in scientific expeditions. Flying with Williams will be mission commander Butch Wilmore.

Boeing Starliner

Name : Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner

Height : 16.5 ft (capsule + service module)

Diameter : 15 ft

Crew Size : Four (can carry up to seven)

Rocket : Launches on ULA Atlas V

Launch Pad :  Space Launch Complex 41

Rocket Reusability : single flight (ULA is testing reusability with Vulcan)

Destination : Earth orbit and ISS

Landing : Ground landing under three parachutes and airbags in southwestern United States.

NASA Contract Award (2014): $4.8 billion

Boeing Starliner first uncrewed docking

Boeing's Starliner first successfully docked to the International Space Station on May 20, 2022.

SpaceX Dragon

Name : Dragon Crew Capsule

Height : 16 ft

Diameter : 13 ft

Rocket : Launches on SpaceX Falcon 9

Launch Pad : KSC 39A and Space Launch Complex 40.

Rocket Reusability : multiple flights (Falcon 9 lands and is flown again)

Landing : Splashes down in the ocean under four main chutes after using two drogue parachutes

NASA Contract Award (2014) : $3.1 billion

SpaceX Dragon first uncrewed docking

The SpaceX Dragon first successfully docked to the International Space Station on May 25, 2012.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.

Want to live in or visit space? This exhibit offers a preview

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live and work in space?

To find out, you might track down an astronaut or cosmonaut who spent time on the Russian space station Mir. Or, you could question one of more than 270 individuals who have spent time in the International Space Station, which, NASA boasts, is larger than a six-bedroom house with six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym and a 360-degree-view bay window.

You could also grab some popcorn or some freeze-dried "astronaut" ice cream and watch a movie or TV show — such as "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Ad Astra" or "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" — that imagines what life might be like on a fictional space station.

Want more aviation news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter .

Or you can jet over to Seattle's Museum of Flight to visit " Home Beyond Earth ." It's an exhibit opening in early June that focuses on space stations past, present and future and includes more than 50 artifacts, models, space-flown objects and uniforms.

The topic of long-term living in space is timely, according to Geoff Nunn, the exhibit developer and year-round space curator at the Museum of Flight. Right now, there are two space stations in Earth's orbit: China's Tiangong space station and the ISS, which has been hosting a revolving team of astronauts since November 2000 and is set to be retired around 2030.

"NASA and its international partners are looking to hand off operations of long-term activity in space to private space station companies. And several companies are developing successors to the International Space Station that will be privately owned and operated," Nunn said. "So, in the next decade or so we could see tremendous change in how we live and work in space."

More for AvGeeks: A behind-the-scenes look at Southwest's Dallas headquarters

Nunn said that for this exhibit, the museum wanted to go beyond the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) aspect of living and working on a space station. It aims to dig deeper into the cultural influences and the human fascination with the nuts and bolts of what living and working in space might really entail.

To do that, the exhibit reaches back to the early science fiction stories hypothesizing and predicting what space stations might be like. It progresses to the history of actually living and working in space, which began with Skylab and Salyut in the 1970s and through to the current ISS. The exhibit also looks ahead to the near future and what the space community might be like.

Objects in the exhibit will include scale models of both historic and conceptual space stations, including a model of the ISS built by students at the University of Washington that has solar panels that sync up and rotate with the solar on the real ISS.

"Home Beyond Earth" will also include inflight garments from all the major types of space stations that have been in orbit (with the exception of China's Tiangong space station). It'll feature artifacts that have flown in space, such as the award-winning Space Cup , a zero-gravity coffee cup designed for NASA at Portland State University and tested on the ISS.

A test version of a 3D printer called the Refabricator, which is about the size of a dorm room refrigerator and was launched to the ISS in 2018, will be on exhibit. Nicole Stott's "The Wave" — the first watercolor painted by an astronaut in space on board the ISS in 2009 — will also be on display.

To help future astronauts better visualize what it might be like to live and work in space, the exhibit will issue digital cards or tokens that invite visitors to pick a space station of their choice and personalize their journey. For those who want souvenirs of their journey, there will be space travel posters featuring both real and imagined space stations.

So, is the Museum of Flight's space curator ready to live and work in a space station?

"I think if we can get a decently comfortable space up there," Nunn said, "I might consider it."

"Home Beyond Earth" opens June 8 at Seattle's Museum of Flight and will run through Jan. 20, 2025.

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Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the latest entry to space travel

Boeing’s Starliner capsule atop an Atlas V rocket is rolled out to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will launch aboard to the International Space Station, scheduled for liftoff on May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore exit the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a mission dress rehearsal on Friday, April 26, 2024. The first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board is scheduled for Monday, May 6, 2024. (Frank Micheaux/NASA via AP)

Boeing Crew Flight Test crew members Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore work in the Boeing Starliner simulator at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Nov. 3, 2022. The first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board is scheduled for Monday, May 6, 2024. (NASA/Robert Markowitz)

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — After years of delays and stumbles, Boeing is finally poised to launch astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA.

It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.

NASA turned to U.S. companies for astronaut rides after the space shuttles were retired. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has made nine taxi trips for NASA since 2020, while Boeing has managed only a pair of unoccupied test flights.

Boeing program manager Mark Nappi wishes Starliner was further along. “There’s no doubt about that, but we’re here now.”

The company’s long-awaited astronaut demo is slated for liftoff Monday night.

Provided this tryout goes well, NASA will alternate between Boeing and SpaceX to get astronauts to and from the space station.

A look at the newest ride and its shakedown cruise:

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore exit the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a mission dress rehearsal on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Frank Micheaux/NASA via AP)

THE CAPSULE

White with black and blue trim, Boeing’s Starliner capsule is about 10 feet (3 meters) tall and 15 feet (4.5 meters) in diameter. It can fit up to seven people, though NASA crews typically will number four. The company settled on the name Starliner nearly a decade ago, a twist on the name of Boeing’s early Stratoliner and the current Dreamliner.

No one was aboard Boeing’s two previous Starliner test flights. The first, in 2019, was hit with software trouble so severe that its empty capsule couldn’t reach the station until the second try in 2022. Then last summer, weak parachutes and flammable tape cropped up that needed to be fixed or removed.

Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are retired Navy captains who spent months aboard the space station years ago. They joined the test flight after the original crew bowed out as the delays piled up. Wilmore, 61, is a former combat pilot from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, and Williams, 58, is a helicopter pilot from Needham, Massachusetts. The duo have been involved in the capsule’s development and insist Starliner is ready for prime time, otherwise they would not strap in for the launch.

“We’re not putting our heads in the sand,” Williams told The Associated Press. “Sure, Boeing has had its problems. But we are the QA (quality assurance). Our eyes are on the spacecraft.”

THE TEST FLIGHT

Starliner will blast off on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It will be the first time astronauts ride an Atlas since NASA’s Project Mercury, starting with John Glenn when he became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. Sixty-two years later, this will be the 100th launch of the Atlas V, which is used to hoist satellites as well as spacecraft.

“We’re super careful with every mission. We’re super, duper, duper careful” with human missions, said Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Starliner should reach the space station in roughly 26 hours. The seven station residents will have their eyes peeled on the approaching capsule. The arrival of a new vehicle is “a really big deal. You leave nothing to chance,” NASA astronaut Michael Barratt told the AP from orbit. Starliner will remain docked for eight days, undergoing checkouts before landing in New Mexico or elsewhere in the American West.

STARLINER VS. DRAGON

Both companies’ capsules are designed to be autonomous and reusable. This Starliner is the same one that made the first test flight in 2019. Unlike the SpaceX Dragons, Starliner has traditional hand controls and switches alongside touchscreens and, according to the astronauts, is more like NASA’s Orion capsules for moon missions. Wilmore and Williams briefly will take manual control to wring out the systems on their way to the space station.

NASA gave Boeing, a longtime space contractor, more than $4 billion to develop the capsule, while SpaceX got $2.6 billion. SpaceX already was in the station delivery business and merely refashioned its cargo capsule for crew. While SpaceX uses the boss’ Teslas to get astronauts to the launch pad, Boeing will use a more traditional “astrovan” equipped with a video screen that Wilmore said will be playing “Top Gun: Maverick.”

One big difference at flight’s end: Starliner lands on the ground with cushioning airbags, while Dragon splashes into the sea.

Boeing is committed to six Starliner trips for NASA after this one, which will take the company to the station’s planned end in 2030. Boeing’s Nappi is reluctant to discuss other potential customers until this inaugural crew flight is over. But the company has said a fifth seat will be available to private clients. SpaceX periodically sells seats to tycoons and even countries eager to get their citizens to the station for a couple weeks.

Coming soon: Sierra Space’s mini shuttle, Dream Chaser, which will deliver cargo to the station later this year or next, before accepting passengers.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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The International Space Station Program brings together international flight crews, multiple launch vehicles, globally distributed launch and flight operations, training, engineering, and development facilities, communications networks, and the international scientific research community.

How it All Began

International cooperation, research and science, expeditions, space shuttle crews, commercial crew program, current management.

The Space Station was officially given approval by President Reagan and a budget approved by the US Congress in 1984. NASA Administrator James Beggs immediately set out to find international partners who would cooperate on the program. Canadians, Japanese and many nations of the European Space Agency began to participate in the program soon after.

The Station was designed between 1984 and 1993. Elements of the Station were in construction throughout the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe beginning in the late 1980s.

In 1993, as the Station was undergoing a redesign, the Russians were invited to participate.

Agreement was made to proceed in two phases. During the first phase, NASA Space Shuttles would carry astronauts and cosmonauts to the Russian Mir Orbital Station. The US would help to modify two Russian-built modules to house US and international experiments and to establish working processes between the participating nations. During Phase 2, led by the US and Russia, all of the participating nations would contribute elements and crewmembers to a new International Space Station (ISS).

Phase 1, called NASA-Mir, took place between 1995 and 1998. Eleven Space Shuttle launches went to Mir with the last ten docking to Mir and astronauts and cosmonauts transferring between the two vehicles. Two new Russian modules, Spektr and Priroda were launched, became part of Mir, and housed dozens of US payloads and seven US astronauts.

In Phase 2, the elements of the new ISS were launched beginning in 1998.

Five partner agencies, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the State Space Corporation “Roscosmos”, operate the International Space Station, with each partner responsible for managing and controlling the hardware it provides. The station was designed from the outset to be interdependent and relies on contributions from across the partnership to function. The International Space Station (ISS) is the unique blend of unified and diversified goals among the world’s space agencies that will lead to improvements in life on Earth for all people of all nations. While the various space agency partners may emphasize different aspects of research to achieve their goals in the use of the ISS, they are unified in several important overarching goals. All of the agencies recognize the importance of leveraging the ISS as an education platform to encourage and motivate today’s youth to pursue careers in math, science, engineering, and technology (STEM): educating the children of today to be the leaders and space explorers of tomorrow. All the agencies are unified in their goals to apply knowledge gained through ISS research in human physiology, radiation, materials science, engineering, biology, fluid physics, and technology: enabling future space exploration missions. Advancing our knowledge in the areas of human physiology, biology, and material and physical sciences and translating that knowledge to health, socioeconomic, and environmental benefits on Earth is another common goal of the agencies: returning the knowledge gained in space research for the benefit of society. The ISS program’s greatest accomplishment is as much a human achievement as a technological one. The global partnership of space agencies exemplifies meshing of cultural differences and political intricacies to plan, coordinate, provide, and operate the complex elements of the ISS. The program also brings together international flight crews and globally distributed launch, operations, training, engineering, communications networks, and scientific research communities.

Although the primary Mission Control centers are in the US and Russia, several ancillary control centers in Canada, Japan, and Europe also have a role in managing each nation’s elements and crew members.

The intended life span of ISS has been extended several times. Since several elements are now beyond their originally intended lifespans, analyses are conducted periodically to ensure the Station is safe for continued habitation and operation. Much of the Station is modular and so as parts and systems wear out, new parts are launched to replace or augment the original. The ISS will continue to be a working laboratory and outpost in orbit until at least 2030.

Construction for the ISS began in 1998. New modules were added as recently as 2021.

The idea of living in space was the very first step towards a space station. The first person to write about living and traveling in space was the noted renaissance astronomer Johannes Kepler in the early 1600s. He was the first to realize that planets were worlds, that there was space between the planets and he wrote that one day people would travel through space.

In the 1860s, Edward Everett Hale wrote the “Brick Moon” which was published in the Atlantic Weekly magazine. The Brick Moon had many of the characteristics of a space station; it was a man-made structure that orbited Earth and provided housing and life support for its crew while serving as a navigation aid for people on Earth.

Others, like the Russian theoretician Konstantin Tsiolkovsky were thinking about designs for space stations that could use sunlight for power and that would serve as miniature Earths, with growth of vegetation in the interior.

The first details of the engineering, design and construction of a space station were described by Herman Noordung, in 1928. He described a “ wohnrad ” or “ living wheel “; a wheel shaped rotating space station. He reasoned that the rotation would be required to create artificial gravity for the crewmembers. He described how it would be assembled first on the ground for testing and then its individual parts launched by rocket for reassembly in orbit.

Willy Ley wrote about life in a space station in 1952. “When man first takes up residence in space, it will be within the spinning hull of a wheel-shaped space station [revolving] around the earth much as the moon does. Life will be cramped and complicated for space dwellers; they will exist under conditions comparable to those in a modem submarine…it will be a self-contained community in which all man’s needs, from air-conditioning to artificial gravity, have been supplied.” [Willy Ley and Chesley Bonestell in The Conquest of Space, Viking Press.] Their ideas went nationwide in Collier’s Magazine and on the Walt Disney television program.

The US government began to develop space station concepts in the 1950s. One of the early concepts was the US Army Project Horizon modular orbital station which would serve to house crews and refuel spacecraft on their way to a moon base. In the early 1960s, NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center in Houston) elaborated on the requirements for a station and they patented the concept. Concepts for the first US space station, which would later become known as Skylab, started about this time.

Almost simultaneously, the Soviet Union planned a super rocket launcher that would orbit a large space station. The rocket, designated the N-1, would also be pressed into service for the Soviet manned Moon landing program. But test launches beginning in 1969 proved unsuccessful and so the Soviets turned their attention to smaller stations which could be launched by their most powerful functioning rocket, the Proton.

The ISS components were built in various countries around the world, with each piece performing once connected in space, a testament to the teamwork and cultural coordination.

Like a Lego set, each piece of the ISS was launched and assembled in space, using complex robotics systems and humans in spacesuits connecting fluid lines and electrical wires.

The ISS is the largest humanmade object ever to orbit Earth. ISS has a pressurized volume of approximately 900 m3 (31,000 ft 3 ) and a mass over 400,000 kg (900,000 lbs). Actual numbers vary as logistics resupply vehicles come and go on a frequent and regular basis.

The ISS solar arrays cover an area of 2,247 m2 (24,187 ft 2 ) and can generate 735,000 kW-hours of electrical power per year.

The ISS structure measures 109 m (358 ft) (across arrays) by 51 m (168 ft) (module length from the forward end of PMA2 to the aft end of the SM).

ISS orbits at an altitude of between 370–460 km (200–250 nmi). Its falls towards Earth continually due to atmospheric friction and requires periodic rocket firings to boost the orbit. The ISS orbital inclination is 51.6°, permitting ISS to fly over 90% of the inhabited Earth.

ISS carries a crew of between 3 and 13 depending on then number of people and passenger vehicles during handover periods, It continually hosts a crew of seven.

Building the ISS required 36 Space Shuttle assembly flights and 6 Russian Proton and Soyuz rocket launches. More launches are continuing as new modules are completed and ready to become part of the orbiting complex.

Logistics, resupply and crew exchange have been provided by a number of vehicles including the Space Shuttle, Russian Progress and Soyuz, Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) and commercial Dragon, Cygnus and Starliner vehicles.

For more information about the International Space Station assembly elements visit https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/international-space-station-assembly-elements/ .

The complex assembly of space station would have been impossible without the skilled labors of spacewalking astronauts and cosmonauts. Spacewalks, or Extravehicular activity (EVA) were conducted in Earth orbit, on the Moon’s surface, and in deep space between the Earth and Moon in prior programs.

The cumulative experience of the EVAs conducted prior to the start of ISS assembly formed a solid basis on which to build the necessary spacewalking skills but during the ISS Program more spacewalks have been conducted than in all prior programs, combined. At one time ‘ the wall of spacewalks ‘ was seen as a formidable obstacle to assembling the ISS but spacewalks and assembly missions have proceeded almost with no hindrances.

In the two+ decades since station assembly began, more than 260 spacewalks for assembly, maintenance, and reconfiguration have been required. Spacewalks were essential to preparing the ISS to accommodate its first occupants.

Astronauts Jerry L. Ross and James H. Newman conducted the first ISS EVA on December 7, 1988, during the STS-88 mission, to connect electrical and data cables between the station’s first two modules,  FGB Zarya  and Node 1 Unity . Over the course of the first five shuttle assembly missions, 12 crew members conducted 10 spacewalks prior to the Expedition 1 crew taking up residence on the station. During STS-96, the second assembly mission in May 1999, Tamara E. “Tammy” Jernigan became the first woman to perform an EVA at ISS. Astronaut Edward T. “Ed” Lu and cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko conducted the first U.S.-Russian EVA at station during the June 2000 STS-101 mission. The two connected electrical and data cables between  FGB Zarya  and the newly arrived Service Module Zvezda . In preparation for that spacewalk Russian engineers modified the Hydrolab facility at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center to accommodate the U.S. EMU spacesuits. American engineers adapted the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center to accommodate the Expedition 1 crew train using either the US EMU or Russian Orlan spacesuits.

Following the arrival of Expedition 1 crew members William M. Shepherd, Yuri P. Gidzenko and Sergei K. Krikalev aboard the space station on Nov. 2, 2000, the pace of assembly and the number of spacewalks increased significantly. Between December 2000 and April 2003, 38 astronauts and cosmonauts completed 41 EVAs, including the first staged from station itself, using an ISS airlock, rather than from the visiting Space Shuttle. On March 10, 2001, Expedition 2 astronauts James S. Voss and Susan J. Helms conducted a spacewalk during STS-102 that, at eight hours and 56 minutes, still stands as the longest EVA in history. In April 2001, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris A. Hadfield became the first Canadian to conduct a spacewalk at the orbiting laboratory during STS-100, the flight that brought the  Canadarm2  robotics system to the space station. On June 8, Voss joined Expedition 2 cosmonaut Yuri V. Usachev for the first Russian segment EVA, an ‘internal’ spacewalk inside  Zvezda’s  Transfer Compartment to prepare it for the arrival of a new module.

The STS-104 mission in July 2001 brought the US-built Quest  ‘Joint’ Airlock to the station, providing station a standalone EVA capability with accommodations for either the U.S. Extravehicular Mobility Unity (EMU) or Russian Orlan suits. Michael L. Gernhardt and James F. Reilly performed the first EVA from  Quest  on July 20. The Russian Pirs (Pier)  module arrived at station on Sept. 17, 2001, providing the Russian segment with its own airlock capability. On Oct. 8, Expedition 3 cosmonauts Vladimir N. Dezhurov and Mikhail V. Tyurin staged the first EVA from  Pirs .

Along with American and Russian crewmates, international partners continued to play a role in spacewalking, with Philippe Perrin becoming the first astronaut from France to perform a spacewalk at station during the STS-111 mission in June 2002.

Following the Space Shuttle  Columbia  accident, station spacewalks continued, but only from the Russian segment with the added complication that with the resident crew size was reduced to two, the pair of spacewalking crew members left no one inside to monitor its systems. Although this posed a slightly increased risk should something go wrong, these “two-person” spacewalks proved essential during the shuttle hiatus. Expedition 8 crew members Aleksandr Y. Kaleri and Mike Foale conducted the first of these EVAs on Feb. 26, 2004. Foale had prior experience with the Orlan suit, as he had completed an EVA during his long-duration stay aboard Mir in 1997. The crew had to cut the spacewalk short due to Kaleri’s suit overheating and water droplets forming inside his helmet. The crew later identified the problem as a kink in the water line in his liquid cooling garment. The incident provided a preview of a more serious problem, which would occur in an EMU during an EVA more than nine years later.

On the STS-114 shuttle Return to Flight mission, Soichi Noguchi became the first astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to conduct an EVA at station on July 30, 2005. The first ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut to perform a station spacewalk was Expedition 13 crew member Thomas A. Reiter from Germany on Aug. 3, 2006.

Although all spacewalks carry a certain amount of risk, two examples illustrate how some are riskier than others. The objectives of the STS-120 mission in October 2007 included not only the delivery of the  Harmony  module to station, but also the relocation of the P6 truss segment from its location atop the Z1 truss, where it had been since December 2000, to the outboard port-side truss. During the overall reconfiguration of the station’s power systems earlier in 2007, the P6’s solar arrays were rolled up.  After the crew members relocated P6 to the outboard truss, they began to unfurl the two arrays. The first array opened without incident, but with the second array nearly unfurled, the astronauts noticed a tear in a small portion of the panel and immediately halted the deployment to prevent further damage.  Working with the crew aboard, mission managers devised a plan to have one of the astronauts essentially suture the tear in the panel. Appropriately enough, one of the two STS-120 spacewalkers, Scott E. Parazynski, was also a physician, and he put his suturing skills to good use. Attached to a portable foot restraint, Parazynski was hoisted atop not only the station’s robotic arm, but also the shuttle’s boom normally used to inspect the shuttle orbiter’s tiles — the impromptu arrangement providing just enough reach for Parazynski to successfully repair the torn array using improvised “cufflinks.” After he secured five cufflinks to the damaged panel, crew members inside the station fully extended the array as Parazynski monitored the event.

For more information about spacewalks visit https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-spacewalks/ .

Assembly of the International Space Station would not have been possible without the skilled work of dozens of astronauts and cosmonauts performing intricate tasks in bulky spacesuits in the harsh environment of space. 

There are 3 Nodes that join the modules of the ISS. They are: named Tranquility, Harmony, and Unity,

The International Space Station (ISS) Program’s greatest accomplishment is as much a human achievement as it is a technological one—how best to plan, coordinate, and monitor the varied activities of the Program’s many organizations.

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the ISS. The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

For more information about international cooperation visit https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-international-cooperation/ .

The International Space Station is an unprecedented achievement in global human endeavors to build and utilize a research platform in space. Since 2000, the station evolved from an outpost into a highly capable microgravity laboratory.

In its third decade of continuous human presence, the International Space Station has a far-reaching impact as a microgravity lab hosting technology, demonstrations, and scientific investigations from a range of fields. Results are compounding and new benefits are emerging.

For more information about the research conducted on the International Space Station visit https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-research-and-technology/ .

The International Space Station has been continuously inhabited for over 20 years beginning with Expedition 1 when it docked on November 2, 2000, when it was just three modules. The orbiting laboratory has expanded to the size of a football field hosting over 260 individuals from 21 countries comprising over 60 Expeditions. The orbital outpost will continue to provide advanced research benefitting humans on and off the Earth through 2030.

For more information about expeditions to the International Space Station visit https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/expedition-missions-content-list/ .

NASA is developing a human spaceflight economy enabled by a commercial market. To achieve that goal, NASA is committed to developing a robust low Earth orbit economy and enabling both the supply side and the demand side. The low Earth orbit economy is a new and growing market of private companies providing access to, and services in, space. Customers include NASA, other government agencies, academic and research-based institutions, and other private companies.

For more information about commercial space visit https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/ .

The Space Shuttle was the world’s first reusable spacecraft, and the first spacecraft in history that can carry large satellites both to and from orbit. The Shuttle launches like a rocket, maneuvers in Earth orbit like a spacecraft and lands like an airplane. Each of the three Space Shuttle orbiters now in operation — Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour — is designed to fly at least 100 missions. So far, altogether they have flown a combined total of less than one-fourth of that.

Columbia was the first Space Shuttle orbiter to be delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., in March 1979. Columbia and the STS-107 crew were lost Feb. 1, 2003, during re-entry. The Orbiter Challenger was delivered to KSC in July 1982 and was destroyed in an explosion during ascent in January 1986. Discovery was delivered in November 1983. Atlantis was delivered in April 1985. Endeavour was built as a replacement following the Challenger accident and was delivered to Florida in May 1991. An early Space Shuttle Orbiter, the Enterprise, never flew in space but was used for approach and landing tests at the Dryden Flight Research Center and several launch pad studies in the late 1970s.

For more information about the Space Shuttle era visit https://www.nasa.gov/space-shuttle/ .

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is delivering on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective human transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has worked with several American aerospace industry companies to facilitate the development of U.S. human spaceflight systems since 2010. The goal is to have safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and foster commercial access to other potential low-Earth orbit destinations.

For more information about the Commercial Crew Program visit https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/commercial-crew-program/ .

Joel Montalbano – International Space Station Program Manager

Dana Weigel – International Space Station Deputy Program Manager

Dina Contella – International Space Station Program Operations Integration Manager

Melissa Gard – International Space Station Program Chief of Staff

The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that is returning enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit people on Earth and is enabling our ability to travel into deep space. The Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to  extend space station operations  until 2030 will enable the United States to continue to reap these benefits for the next decade while U.S. industry develops commercial destinations and markets for a thriving space economy.  

As NASA looks forward to a decade of results from research and technology development aboard the International Space Station, the agency is taking steps to ensure a successful transition of operations to commercial services.

Learn more about the International Space Station transition plan through this article and the transition FAQs .

From the first crew turning on the lights of a small outpost on the edge of space, to a highly capable microgravity laboratory — the groundwork that was laid over two decades ago has propelled us to extend our efforts on the International Space Station to 2030

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ISS Reference Guide

An overview of the ISS, its research facilities and accommodations, and key information on conducting experiments on this unique orbiting laboratory.

2023 ISS Calendar

u0022I wish everyone an inspiring year in 2023 and look forward to the wonders these next years on the International Space Station will continue to bring to humanity.u0022 u002du002dInternational Space Station Program Manager Joel R. Montalbano

News | Boeing to launch new capsule, send NASA…

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News | Boeing to launch new capsule, send NASA astronauts to International Space Station

It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.

NASA turned to U.S. companies for astronaut rides after the space shuttles were retired. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has made nine taxi trips for NASA since 2020, while Boeing has managed only a pair of unoccupied test flights.

Boeing program manager Mark Nappi wishes Starliner was further along. “There’s no doubt about that, but we’re here now.”

The company’s long-awaited astronaut demo is slated for liftoff Monday night.

Provided this tryout goes well, NASA will alternate between Boeing and SpaceX to get astronauts to and from the space station.

A look at the newest ride and its shakedown cruise:

The capsule

White with black and blue trim, Boeing’s Starliner capsule is about 10 feet tall and 15 feet in diameter. It can fit up to seven people, though NASA crews typically will number four. The company settled on the name Starliner nearly a decade ago, a twist on the name of Boeing’s early Stratoliner and the current Dreamliner.

No one was aboard Boeing’s two previous Starliner test flights. The first, in 2019, was hit with software trouble so severe that its empty capsule couldn’t reach the station until the second try in 2022. Then last summer, weak parachutes and flammable tape cropped up that needed to be fixed or removed.

Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are retired Navy captains who spent months aboard the space station years ago. They joined the test flight after the original crew bowed out as the delays piled up. Wilmore, 61, is a former combat pilot from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, and Williams, 58, is a helicopter pilot from Needham, Massachusetts. The duo have been involved in the capsule’s development and insist Starliner is ready for prime time, otherwise they would not strap in for the launch.

“We’re not putting our heads in the sand,” Williams told The Associated Press. “Sure, Boeing has had its problems. But we are the QA (quality assurance). Our eyes are on the spacecraft.”

The test flight

Starliner will blast off on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It will be the first time astronauts ride an Atlas since NASA’s Project Mercury, starting with John Glenn when he became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. Sixty-two years later, this will be the 100th launch of the Atlas V, which is used to hoist satellites as well as spacecraft.

“We’re super careful with every mission. We’re super, duper, duper careful” with human missions, said Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Starliner should reach the space station in roughly 26 hours. The seven station residents will have their eyes peeled on the approaching capsule. The arrival of a new vehicle is “a really big deal. You leave nothing to chance,” NASA astronaut Michael Barratt told the AP from orbit. Starliner will remain docked for eight days, undergoing checkouts before landing in New Mexico or elsewhere in the American West.

Starliner vs. Dragon

Both companies’ capsules are designed to be autonomous and reusable. This Starliner is the same one that made the first test flight in 2019. Unlike the SpaceX Dragons, Starliner has traditional hand controls and switches alongside touchscreens and, according to the astronauts, is more like NASA’s Orion capsules for moon missions. Wilmore and Williams briefly will take manual control to wring out the systems on their way to the space station.

NASA gave Boeing, a longtime space contractor, more than $4 billion to develop the capsule, while SpaceX got $2.6 billion. SpaceX already was in the station delivery business and merely refashioned its cargo capsule for crew. While SpaceX uses the boss’ Teslas to get astronauts to the launch pad, Boeing will use a more traditional “astrovan” equipped with a video screen that Wilmore said will be playing “Top Gun: Maverick.”

One big difference at flight’s end: Starliner lands on the ground with cushioning airbags, while Dragon splashes into the sea.

Boeing is committed to six Starliner trips for NASA after this one, which will take the company to the station’s planned end in 2030. Boeing’s Nappi is reluctant to discuss other potential customers until this inaugural crew flight is over. But the company has said a fifth seat will be available to private clients. SpaceX periodically sells seats to tycoons and even countries eager to get their citizens to the station for a couple weeks.

Coming soon: Sierra Space’s mini shuttle, Dream Chaser, which will deliver cargo to the station later this year or next, before accepting passengers.

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Before leading major space travel mission on Starliner, NASA astronaut was a Tennessee Vol

Whatever you're doing at 10:34 p.m. May 6, it won't top NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore's plans to take the Volunteer spirit out of this world.

OK, fine. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville alum's main priority is serving as commander during the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner, which will take him and pilot Sunita "Suni" Williams to the International Space Station.

And depending on how things go, the test flight could make the Starliner a routine ferry for the space agency.

It's all finally happening at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after years of delays. While SpaceX continues to fly its Crew Dragon spacecraft, Starliner experienced some problems with an early test flight and has been lagging behind.

NASA astronaut on Starliner mission is a 'Tennessean at heart'

This will be the third trip to the International Space Station for Wilmore, a retired U.S. Navy captain with more than 8,000 flight hours in tactical jets. Before joining NASA in 2000, Wilmore flew missions in operations Desert Storm, Desert Shield and Southern Watch.

Wilmore was a pilot on shuttle Atlantis’ STS-129 mission in 2009 and commanded Expedition 42 for six months in 2014 and 2015. The 61-year-old Mount Juliet native graduated with a master’s degree in aviation systems from the UT Space Institute in 1994.

He also holds a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Tech University. Wilmore will participate in a live chat with the university from the International Space Station on May 10.

“I am a Tennessean at heart,” he told UT's Tickle College of Engineering. “That’s home, and you might see a Tennessee item or two while I’m up there.”

The May 6 launch marks the spacecraft's final test flight to "validate the transportation system ... and return to Earth with astronauts aboard," according to NASA .

Wilmore and Williams will spend about a week on the International Space Station before returning with the help of parachutes and airbags in the western U.S.

How UT alum Barry 'Butch' Wilmore became a NASA astronaut

Wilmore's first word as a child was not "mom" or "dad," he said on a March episode of NASA's "Houston We Have a Podcast." It was "why."

"I was always questioning everything," he said, including what it must be like to visit outer space.

It took Wilmore three applications just to get an interview with NASA, but even then he wasn't selected. The fourth time was the charm, moving past the interview stage all the way to astronaut.

Wilmore was selected by NASA for the astronaut corps in 2000 and has since flown to space twice, spending 178 combined days off Earth. He was assigned his upcoming mission in October 2020,  replacing astronaut Chris Ferguson as commander. Ferguson stepped down from the flight due to family commitments.

Wilmore has two daughters, Daryn and Logan, and serves as a pastor for Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas. He is a fan of musicals and plans to play music on the way to the ISS, according to a March statement from Boeing . 

Williams, his fellow Starliner crew member, said she might ask him to sing during the journey. After all, you have to find some way to pass the approximately 24-hour trip.

Who is Starliner pilot Sunita 'Suni' Williams?

Williams earned her bachelor's in physical science from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987 and earned her master's in engineering science from Florida Tech in 1995. Her accomplishments as a helicopter pilot include deployments to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to support Desert Shield and Operation Provide Comfort, according to her NASA bio.

Selected by NASA in June 1998, Williams assisted with the early collaboration between NASA and the Russian Space Agency on the International Space Station before shifting to working with the Robotics branch for the ISS Robotic Arm.

During her two spaceflights, Williams completed seven spacewalks. All in all, she has spent a cumulative total of 322 days in space.

Boeing plays catch up with Elon Musk's SpaceX

Williams has been waiting nearly a decade for this mission.

Both SpaceX and Boeing were awarded contracts to fly NASA crews back in 2014, but it wasn't until 2020 that SpaceX began successfully flying crewed missions − three years after what was hoped .

"It's been tough watching our SpaceX colleagues fly again and again," Williams said. "But that fact has made us the Starliner crew."

With the extra time, she and Wilmore have been able to learn more about the vehicle while interacting with each other and the team at Boeing over the past two years.

If you want to watch live rocket launch coverage,  FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team  will provide updates at  floridatoday.com/space , starting about 90 minutes before launch time. You can download the free app for iPhone or Android or type  floridatoday.com/space  into your browser.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X:  @brookeofstars .

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email  [email protected] .

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