Who Flew Commercial to Space in 2024?
A Majority Tourists and Many Agency Astronauts -- A Few Still Stranded There
Spaceport Lounge’s proprietary database shows that private space travel and tourism continued to grow at a healthy pace in 2024, with a 19% increase in passengers compared to the previous year. The rapid surge that began in 2021 has leveled off somewhat, but is expected to accelerate again when new spacecraft from multiple spacelines become operational in the coming years.
There were a total of 11 missions with 43 passengers that involved private space travel – meaning anyone traveling on private spacecraft or civilians traveling on space agency spacecraft.
Passenger Count by Destination
26 space tourists on short voyages just beyond the edge of space
13 space agency astronauts transported to the ISS
4 private astronauts to a record apogee in low Earth orbit
Passenger Totals by Spaceline/Agency
Blue Origin: 18
SpaceX: 14
Virgin Galactic: 8
Boeing: 2
Roscosmos: 1 (civilian)
Blue Origin Resumes Passenger Space Flights
In 2024, Blue Origin resumed suborbital passenger missions after a nine-month hiatus. The pause in flights followed an uncrewed mission in 2023 that experienced an anomaly—a failure or unexpected issue during the rocket's ascent. This incident prompted a comprehensive investigation and safety review, leading to necessary adjustments before the company could safely return to human spaceflight operations.
The company completed three passenger missions to the Kármán Line, transporting a total of 18 passengers, including paying tourists and invited guests. The journey to the Kármán Line for a brief float while viewing Earth, then returns with a parachute-assisted landing in the Texas desert. The total flight duration is about 10 minutes.
Of these 18 Blue Origin passengers:
11 passengers were self-funded space tourists paying an estimated $2.1M per voyage
3 passengers traveled through grants or sponsorships to cover their costs
3 passengers were Blue Origin-invited guests, including Ed Dwight, the oldest passenger to have flown to space at 90.8 years of age. See demographics.
1 passenger won a voyage in a contest, the "Whatnot to the Moon" giveaway, sponsored by Whatnot, a leading livestream shopping platform
Virgin Galactic Sunsets VSS Unity After Two Final Flights
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo vehicles completed two flights in 2024, carrying a total of eight passengers. Unlike rocket launches, these flights are pilot-controlled in a craft more similar to an airplane. Each flight had two pilots and four passengers.
The journey lasts about 30 minutes round-trip, reaching the edge of space as defined by US government agencies at 50 miles (80 kilometers) above sea level, but not quite to the internationally recognized Kármán Line at 62 miles (100 kilometers). The craft returns with a comfortable landing, gliding down to an airstrip in New Mexico.
Of these 8 Virgin Galactic passengers:
6 passengers were self-funded space tourists paying an estimated $450K per voyage
2 passengers were sponsored by their companies (SpaceX and Axiom Space) to gain experience with spaceflight
Virgin Galactic retired its current spacecraft, VSS Unity, in June 2024. Its next-generation Delta-class spacecraft is expected to enter service in 2026, featuring higher flight frequency and improved capabilities.
SpaceX Expands Orbital Travel to the ISS and Beyond
SpaceX, known for its bigger rockets enabling orbital missions, completed four private voyages aboard its Crew Dragon spacecraft in 2024. These missions included a total of 14 passengers on multi-day orbital journeys including partnerships with Axiom Space and in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) transporting NASA and other agency astronauts to the ISS.
SpaceX missions blast much further than short suborbital flights, reaching the ISS and beyond.
Of the 14 passengers that flew on SpaceX craft:
Four passengers, private astronauts, flew on the Polaris Dawn mission, funded by Jared Isaacman
10 passengers on three missions to the ISS were agency astronauts, part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
The most captivating and unique voyage of 2024 was the Polaris Dawn mission, funded by Jared Isaacman, which achieved an impressive altitude of 870 miles above Earth— more than twice as far as the ISS orbit, and the highest point reached since the Apollo missions. This mission included the first private spacewalk, conducted by Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, testing new spacesuits and expanding the possibilities for private astronaut experiences.
In another significant development, Jared Isaacman, the visionary behind the Polaris Program, was nominated in December 2024 to lead NASA as its next Administrator. His nomination reflects the growing intersection of private enterprise and government collaboration in advancing space exploration.
Boeing Starliner Woes Result in a Long Stayover
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft faced setbacks during its Crew Flight Test (CFT) in June 2024, leaving its two passengers, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, stranded aboard the ISS. Technical issues, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, raised concerns about safe return using Starliner. It eventually returned to earth safely, but unoccupied. NASA opted for a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft scheduled to bring the astronauts home in March 2025, which would be 10 months instead of the originally planned eight days there. These challenges raise concerns about Starliner’s reliability in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Roscosmos: The Outlier
Roscosmos, the pioneer of space tourism with its 2001 voyage transporting Dennis Tito to the ISS, carried Belarusian civilian Marina Vasilevskaya to the ISS in 2024. Selected from over 3,000 applicants in a national competition, “Belarusian Woman in Space”, Vasilevskaya, a former professional ballroom dancer and flight attendant, trained to conduct scientific experiments during her 14-day mission aboard the ISS.
Private Space Station Progress
In 2024, significant progress was made on private space stations. Axiom Space advanced its timeline, planning to launch its first module by late 2026, with operational independence targeted for 2028. Orbital Reef, led by Blue Origin and Sierra Space, continued development, aiming for initial deployments by 2027 and full functionality by 2030. These projects highlight the growing momentum in private orbital platforms, offering new opportunities for research, tourism, and commercial activities in space.
Artemis Lunar Program Progress
NASA’s Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the Moon, experienced schedule adjustments in 2024. Artemis II, the crewed mission to orbit the Moon, has been rescheduled for April 2026, and Artemis III, intended to land astronauts on the lunar surface, is now planned for mid-2027.
The infrastructure and technologies developed under Artemis, including lunar habitats and sustainable surface systems, are expected to open opportunities for private companies to expand space tourism to the Moon in the future.
