On October 24, the tech start-up Deep Blue Aerospace, which is based in eastern Jiangsu province in China, officially launched a pre-sale of tickets for space travel during a livestream event on China’s e-commerce giant Taobao.This event marked that the commercialization of China’s space tourism has made an important step forward. The pre-sale offered two exclusive tickets,charging 1.5 million yuan for each. Although the price during the livestream was reduced to 1 million yuan, it still gained extensive attention.
Deep Blue Aerospace’s space travel project will use a single-stage reusable rocket and a crew spacecraft, in the manner of the Blue Origin New Shepard system. The crew module will be 3.5 meters wide with a height of 4.0 meters. It will be able to carry six passengers and features six windows. It will be able to hold a payload of 1,200 kilograms. The sub-orbital flight mission is expected to last about 12 minutes, will fly to an altitude of between 100 and 150 kilometers, providing up to 5 minutes of microgravity experience for its passengers. The suborbital spacecraft will land using a parachute system, ensuring that passengers return to Earth safely.
Since its establishment in 2016, Deep Blue Aerospace has focused on the research and development of reusable rockets. Between 2021 and 2022, the company successfully completed China’s first vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) flight of a kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket, has laid a solid foundation for the development of reusable rocket technology.
The “Nebula-1” rocket used in this space travel project is China’s first reusable orbital rocket. After the Nebula-1 rocket will undergo multiple recovery and reuse tests in 2025, the Deep Blue Aerospace crew spacecraft-rocket combination will also undergo dozens of tests in 2026 to ensure the safety and reliability of suborbital manned trave. These efforts have not only reduced the launch costs of space travel but also provided strong support for the commercialization of space tourism.
Huo Liang, CEO of Deep Blue Aerospace, introduced the space travel program during the Taobao live streaming event, stating that entering space generally refers to crossing the Karman Line at 100 kilometers in altitude, where passengers can see Earth as a spherical blue planet against the black, vast universe and sparkling stars. Passengers will also experience a weightless environment throughout the flight, offering a space journey filled with awe that is entirely different from flying on an airplane.
Regarding the safety of this space travel, Huo Liang emphasized that China’s manned space missions have maintained a perfect record of safe returns globally. Deep Blue Aerospace has done extensive work in spacecraft design, including conducting hundreds of tests on the recoverable rocket before flight to ensure it can successfully complete each mission with design redundancies. The manned cabin also provides multiple safety features, such as escape capabilities through the engines and parachute compartments during the entire flight. Furthermore, the spacecraft is equipped with shock-absorbing devices similar to airbags or cushions upon landing, combined with engine thrust reversal, to ensure passenger safety.
Deep Blue Aerospace’s space travel program represents an important milestone in China’s space technology developmentand a significant attempt in the commercialization of China’s space tourism. With the continuous maturity and implementation of reusable rocket and reusable technologies, the cost of space tourism is expected to further decrease, potentially making the dream of space travel for ordinary people a reality in the future.
The two space travel tickets offered for pre-sale were sold out quickly after being released, has demonstrated the public’s enthusiasm and anticipation for space tourism. Deep Blue Aerospace stated that it will continue to dedicate itself to the research and development of space technology, to promote the commercialization of space tourism, and to provide more people with the opportunity to fulfill their space dreams.
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