space tourism

American  

[speys toor-iz-uhm] / ˈspeɪs ˌtʊər ɪz əm /

noun

1. commercial travel into outer space by members of the general public, as for adventure.

   spaceships built for suborbital and orbital space tourism.

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Other Word Forms

• space tourist noun

Etymology

Origin of space tourism

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Virgin Galactic shares closed at an all-time high of $1,188.20 on February 11, 2021, a few months before Branson got strapped in for the world’s first space tourism flight.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

The high cost of space tourism makes it inaccessible to most people, with these expensive missions out of reach for the majority.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2025

Richard Branson, who founded space tourism company Virgin Galactic, once noted that he too is “determined to being a part of starting a population on Mars.”

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2024

Virgin Galactic, the space tourism company founded by British billionaire Richard Branson in 2004, is based in Tustin and has its design and manufacturing operations in Mojave, where it also performs test flights.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024

Private companies are working on different ideas, ranging from space tourism to mining on asteroids.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson