This past Sunday, NASA’s Artemis I mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. It was an historic occasion, both the 50th anniversary of the last human lunar landing, as well as a milestone marking the beginning of NASA’s return to the Moon. Days before, Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa, revealed his 8-person crew to accompany him.
Last year, NASA awarded Blue Origin, Nanoracks, and Northrop Grumman $416 million in contracts toward the study of designs of commercially-operated space stations. With the ISS currently planned for retirement by 2031, and following the growing commercialization of LEO, its government owners are looking at potential replacements. Space tourism is publicized as the next commercial.
A study from analysts at Northern Sky Research (NSR) suggests that by 2031 some 57,500 passengers will be taking a trip into space. The value of this space tourism and orbital travel will capture the majority of an overall cumulative $20.3 billion in related revenues. The numbers come from NSR’s Space Tourism & Travel Markets,.
As the most stable and lucrative segment through 2031, Orbital Travel is set to capture 66% of total revenue opportunity. Orbital Travel has strong government support with initiatives such as the Commercial Crew program and commercial company led Space Station development. High ticket prices, coupled with very strong demand, results in a fast-growing market, even amongst delays.
NSR’s newly released Space Tourism & Travel Markets, 3rd Edition (STT3) report sees over 57,500 passengers heading to ‘space’ through the decade, generating $20.3 Billion cumulative revenues. NSR’s STT3 finds the rapid growth seen in the Space Tourism & Travel Markets driven by a growing commercial passenger interest, along with government funding and demand. As the most stable and lucrative.