China's CAS Space Plans 'Space Tourism Vehicle' to Travel by 2028

Chinese commercial space company CAS Space has announced that its "Space Tourism Vehicle" will make its first flight in 2027 and travel to the edge of space in 2028. This announcement comes shortly after Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin announced the resumption of its New Shepard Rocket flights, which carry cargo and humans on short trips to the edge of space. The resumption marks the end of a nearly two-year pause of crewed operations.

CAS Space's vehicle will feature a tourist cabin with four panoramic windows and can carry seven passengers per flight. The company plans to arrange a launch every 100 hours from a newly built aerospace theme park, with ten vehicles available to take tourists to the edge of space in shifts. Tickets will cost 2 million to 3 million yuan ($415,127) per person per trip.

Guangzhou-based CAS Space was founded in 2018, and its second-largest shareholder is China's most prominent state research institute, the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China's space exploration program has made significant progress, recently narrowing the gap with the United States. With the launch of the Chang'e-6 mission earlier this month, China could become the first country to return samples from the far side of the moon.

The launch attracted many tourists to the launch site on China's island province of Hainan. Before the blast-off, tens of thousands gathered in viewing spots near the launch site, causing long traffic jams.