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Mia Nurmamat

Chinese online travel platform Trip.com has launched a space-flight package priced from 5.1 million yuan (US$759,900), compared with Virgin Galactic’s publicly announced ticket price of US$750,000.
The six-day trip includes several days of preflight training followed by a 90-minute suborbital flight operated by US-based provider Virgin Galactic, which departs from Spaceport America, near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
The first four days are devoted to preparation and training, with the air-launched space flight taking place on the fifth day, according to Ctrip, Trip.com’s mainland China platform.
The 5.1 million yuan price tag covers the space-flight programme, related accommodation and membership of Virgin Galactic’s Future Astronaut community, while return air fares to the United States, visas, insurance and other expenses are charged separately.
According to Ctrip’s AI chatbot, two customers have booked the package through the Chinese platform since the 2027 programme was launched on Tuesday. Virgin Galactic said its astronaut community now comprised more than 700 people worldwide.
The launch of the package – the most expensive publicly available space-tourism product in the Chinese market – has generated widespread discussion on Chinese social media. Ctrip labelled the experience a “sport for the elite” on its homepage, describing it as more than simply a “rich person’s game”.
Commercial space flight has become an emerging investment hotspot in recent years, with a slew of private operators in China and the US launching their own ventures.
Before the flight, passengers will undergo G-awareness training, cabin and seat familiarisation, and classroom-based preparation, according to Virgin Galactic. The programme is designed to ensure customers understand each stage of the flight and minimise distractions during the experience.

During the flight, passengers will experience several minutes of weightlessness and can view Earth through the spacecraft’s 17 windows. After landing, they will receive a “commercial astronaut” certificate from the Association of Space Explorers, according to the itinerary.
Founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson in 2004, California-based Virgin Galactic operates suborbital flights for private passengers and researchers from Spaceport America in New Mexico.
Its VSS Unity spaceplane completed 12 space flights, including seven commercial missions between June 2023 and June 2024, before being retired. The company is developing its higher-capacity Delta-class spacecraft as part of its effort to make commercial space travel more widely accessible.
During its second-quarter earnings call in August, Virgin Galactic said it had completed the sale of a batch of tickets offered from March at US$750,000 each. The company expects to operate at least 10 flights a month by the end of the second quarter of 2027 and achieve positive quarterly cash flow sometime that year.
China, meanwhile, has yet to conduct a commercial space-tourism flight, but domestic companies including CAS Space, Deep Blue Aerospace and Interstellor are developing suborbital tourism vehicles.
Deep Blue Aerospace began selling its first batch of suborbital space-tourism tickets in October 2024, priced at 1.5 million yuan each, with the goal of conducting a crewed flight in 2027. CAS Space has said it aims to begin crewed space-tourism flights around 2028.


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The Chinese travel platform now allows users to book space flight packages with US-based provider Virgin Galactic for nearly US$760,000


The Chinese travel platform now allows users to book space flight packages with US-based provider Virgin Galactic for nearly US$760,000.


Chinese travel platform sparks debate with US$760,000 space flight package

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Chinese travel platform now allows users to book space flight packages with US-based provider Virgin Galactic for nearly US$760,000

The Chinese travel platform now allows users to book space flight packages with US-based provider Virgin Galactic for nearly US$760,000