Aerospace Science | Where does the space travel ticket that costs 1.5 million yuan go?

Shall we go to the distant space together?

Imagine that you are sitting on a rocket, breaking free from the pull of gravity. With a strong sense of being pushed on your back, the spacecraft breaks through the layers of the atmosphere, and your body enters a state of weightlessness. Looking down, you see the blue planet, and looking up, you are accompanied by the stars.

This is not Jules Verne's science fiction, but a reality that makes people excited. On October 23, China's private aerospace company Deep Blue Aerospace announced the pre-sale of two spacecraft seats for suborbital travel in 2027, with each spacecraft ticket priced at 1.5 million yuan .

"Deep Blue Aerospace" Taobao store spacecraft ticket product information

On the evening of October 24, two space travel tickets were put on sale in the "Make Friends" Taobao live broadcast room. The full price was 1.5 million yuan, and the actual price in the live broadcast room was 1 million yuan. They were sold out in less than half an hour. According to Huo Liang, CEO of Deep Blue Aerospace, people between the ages of 18 and 60 who have passed professional health testing standards can buy space tickets. Space travelers can then take a spacecraft through the atmosphere, pass the boundary between the earth and the universe, and see the magnificent curve of the earth. After reaching the geostationary orbit, they can unbuckle their seat belts, eat a floating apple in the air, or drink a glass of floating water, and enjoy the state of weightlessness.

According to the product page of the Taobao store, the suborbital flight mission uses a combination of Deep Blue Aerospace's recyclable rocket and a spacecraft cabin. The spacecraft cabin is about 4 meters high and 3.5 meters in diameter. There are 6 panoramic windows in the spacecraft. A single flight can carry 6 passengers or an experimental payload of no less than 1 ton. The suborbital flight process is about 12 minutes. The spacecraft cabin will cross the Karman line at an altitude of 100km and experience a weightless environment for no less than 5 minutes.

Huo Liang said that rocket launches account for a large part of the cost of space tourism. In the long run, as the technology of orbital reusable rockets matures and comes into use, the cost of rocket launches will be greatly reduced in the future. Deep Blue Aerospace has always focused on the track of reusable rockets. The "Nebula-1" rocket is the first orbital reusable rocket in China. Therefore, as the technology of orbital reusable rockets matures and comes into use, "a ticket costing hundreds of thousands of yuan may soon be realized."

At what stage has China's commercial space travel reached?

The public sale of space travel tickets has attracted widespread attention, as well as some questioning voices.

According to media reports, some domestic commercial aerospace practitioners said, "Manned space flight is too simple. The escape system in case of failure alone cannot be completed in two or three years." Other practitioners believe that it is a more reasonable strategy to first achieve liquid rocket orbital launch and then develop recovery. However, public information shows that Deep Blue Aerospace has not yet achieved rocket orbital launch.

In this regard, Huo Liang said that the technical difficulty of suborbital space tourism business is lower than that of sending astronauts into the space station, and the relevant technology is more mature.

Model of the "Nebula-1" rocket. Image source: Deep Blue Aerospace

In terms of manned spacecraft, China's aerospace industry has accumulated decades of experience since the Shenzhou V manned spacecraft successfully sent astronauts into space and returned safely in 2003. This experience has gradually spread to commercial aerospace companies, and the technology has matured. For suborbital flights, the main thing to do is to further improve comfort and conduct rigorous testing and verification to ensure safety in various extreme environments and emergency avoidance situations.

In terms of rockets, Huo Liang introduced that although ordinary disposable rockets can also be used for suborbital flight missions, a key factor must be considered - cost. At present, Deep Blue Aerospace's reusable rockets are being developed intensively. In September of this year, Deep Blue Aerospace carried out the first high-altitude vertical recovery flight test of Nebula-1. The recyclable and reusable first-stage rocket body encountered an abnormality in the final landing phase of the flight test. According to Huo Liang, there will be many more flight tests in the future, and it is planned to achieve the orbital recovery of the rocket in 2025. "We judge that the technology is mature, and what we need to do next is more testing and safety verification."

In addition, regarding the safety issues that everyone is particularly concerned about, Huo Liang introduced that it will be guaranteed from many aspects. First of all, in the design, manufacturing and testing of manned spacecraft, strict technical standards and specifications must be followed to ensure the reliability and safety of the spacecraft . At the same time, sufficient redundant design and backup plans must be carried out to ensure that once a failure occurs, the backup system can be immediately replaced. And before manned flight, it will undergo dozens to hundreds of flight tests, including extreme situation tests, fault tests, emergency escape and risk avoidance tests, etc. In addition, tourists and security personnel must undergo strict safety training, follow strict process management, and so on.

Huo Liang emphasized, "We have to add all the safety measures we can think of, and only after dozens or hundreds of flights will it be possible to have real manned flights in the future." At the same time, he also pointed out that space travel in its early stages of development is more like an extreme sport with an adventurous nature, which carries certain risks, and both parties involved must be aware of this.

China's commercial space industry is worth looking forward to, not just space travel

Huo Liang said that pre-selling space travel tickets is also a form of popularization and promotion, which can let more people know about the development of my country's commercial aerospace. "Pre-selling space tickets is an expectation for the future industry. Selling two tickets is a symbolic move."

In many people's impressions, aerospace has always been the business of the "national team". In fact, commercial aerospace has long become one of my country's most dynamic future industries.

In terms of commercial rockets, statistics from relevant institutions show that in the first half of 2024, China's aerospace industry carried out a total of 30 launch missions, including 5 commercial launch vehicle launches. In September this year, the reusable rocket "Zhuque-3" test rocket independently developed by my country's Blue Arrow Aerospace Company completed a 10-kilometer-level vertical take-off and landing return flight test at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. my country's commercial aerospace industry has taken an important step in realizing reusable launch vehicle technology.

△On September 11, 2024, "Suzaku-3" completed a 10-kilometer-level vertical take-off and landing return flight test.

Commercial aerospace has also driven the satellite industry to usher in explosive growth. At present, my country has planned three "10,000-star constellation" plans, which will launch more than 37,000 satellites in total. Among them, my country's low-orbit satellite Internet constellation "Qianfan Constellation" has entered the normalized and intensive networking stage. The goal this year is to launch 108 satellites. It is expected that by the end of 2030, the networking of more than 15,000 satellites will be completed, which will release a large amount of demand and provide a large number of orders for upstream satellites, commercial rocket manufacturing and related equipment and parts companies.

From commercial rockets to satellite Internet and then to space travel, as industrial policies continue to be implemented, my country's commercial aerospace industry, as a representative industry of new quality productivity, is moving towards the "fast lane" with full speed across the entire industrial chain.

China's commercial space industry is worth our anticipation.