Space Tourism

Space tourism is the recent phenomenon of tourists paying for flights into space.
As of 2009, orbital space tourism opportunities are limited and expensive, with only the
Russian Space Agency providing transport. The price for a flight brokered by Space Adventures
to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft is US$20–35 million.
The space tourists usually sign contracts with third parties to conduct certain research
while in orbit. This helps to minimize their own expenses.

Infrastructure for a suborbital space tourism industry is being developed through
the construction of spaceports in numerous locations, including California, Oklahoma,
New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, Alaska, Wisconsin, Esrange in Sweden as well as the United
Arab Emirates. Some use the term "personal spaceflight" as in the case of the Personal
Spaceflight Federation.

A number of startup companies have sprung up in recent years, hoping to create a space
tourism industry. For a list of such companies, and the spacecraft they are currently building,
see list of space tourism companies.