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Trip.com's HHtravel lists a 5.1 million yuan suborbital space tourism package with Virgin Galactic, covering training at Spaceport America and a 90-minute flight.
Trip.com, the Chinese travel group, has listed a 5.1 million yuan (S$973,000) suborbital space tourism package on its platform, offered through its high-end customised tour subsidiary HHtravel in partnership with United States-based spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. The six-day luxury itinerary was revealed in mid-September and marks a direct effort by Western commercial space operators to tap into demand from China.
The listing has generated robust discussion across Chinese social media regarding high-end consumer spending and spaceflight safety, though industry analysts stress the actual addressable market remains extremely restricted.
Package details and preflight training
Under the itinerary, clients undergo three days of preflight training at Spaceport America near Las Cruces, New Mexico. On the fifth day, passengers board Virgin Galactic's air-launched spacecraft for a 90-minute suborbital flight, experiencing several minutes of weightlessness and views of the curvature of the Earth.
The package price covers preflight training, ground transport, luxury accommodation in the US, custom spacesuits and commemorative flight footage. However, travellers must separately purchase round-trip flights to the US, specialised personal spaceflight insurance and their visas.
Wei Changren, founder of tourism financial news platform btiii.com, said the product serves a very niche global segment. He noted that buyers require exceptional physical health, high risk tolerance and substantial liquid wealth.
Niche market and analyst caution
Li Xing, a Beijing-based extreme sports enthusiast, said that while the package offers a rare adventure for ordinary citizens without formal astronaut training, the price remains prohibitive for most consumers.
Wei said the prospect of affordable space tourism could arise in the future. He pointed to China's matured rocket launch technology and space exploration over recent decades as factors that could support broader access.
Earlier in 2026, Beijing-based technology start-up InterstellOr, which focuses on commercial manned spacecraft research, announced it will launch a suborbital space trip around 2028. Chen Xu, a senior manager from InterstellOr, told Xinhua News Agency in a recent interview that the requirements for passengers for suborbital tours are not as strict as those for professionally trained astronauts.
China's commercial space ambitions
Chen said passengers should not have risks of cardiovascular diseases or movement disorders, while having regular vestibular and circulatory functions. He added that preflight training for such suborbital tours is intended to develop qualified space travellers rather than acting as a knockout competition.
In 2025, the China National Space Administration unveiled a three-year action plan encouraging high-quality and safe development of the commercial space industry, including space resource utilisation and space tourism.
Virgin Galactic made its first commercial suborbital spaceflight on June 29, 2023, and has since carried 23 paying customers. The Trip.com listing reflects growing interest in space tourism among wealthy Chinese consumers, though analysts caution that the market remains limited by cost, health requirements and regulatory factors.
The package's emergence also highlights the broader global competition in commercial spaceflight, with companies in the United States and China pursuing suborbital and orbital tourism opportunities. For now, the Trip.com offer remains a high-end niche product aimed at a small group of affluent adventurers.
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