Space tourism - statistics & facts

Space tourism is the burgeoning field of human space travel for recreation and/or leisure. There are a variety of options for those interested in recreational space travel including, but not limited to, orbital space travel and sub-orbital space travel. Orbital space travel refers to a space flight in which the spacecraft remains in space for at least one orbit. The estimated revenue of the orbital space tourism market worldwide amounted to roughly 385 million U.S. dollars in 2021, and this figure was forecast to reach 555 million U.S. dollars by 2030. Meanwhile, suborbital space travel refers to a space flight that reaches outer space but does not complete one orbital revolution or reach escape velocity. Future options for space tourism may include trips to Earth’s moon, other planets such as Mars, and space hotels. As it stands, the market is still young and developing. When surveyed in 2021, adults in the United States believed that private companies focused on space exploration will become profitable in the next ten years.

What is the public’s opinion on space tourism?

Although many people are interested in the prospect of traveling to space, the industry is not without its share of controversy. Currently, the exorbitant costs of space travel are such that only high-net-worth individuals can afford a ticket. A survey conducted in September 2021 examined the share of U.S. adults who believed billionaires should be spending money traveling to space, the results of which were divided. The majority of respondents, 59 percent, stated that they believed billionaires should spend money on traveling to space as “it’s their money and they can decide how to use it”. Meanwhile, the remaining 41 percent of adults believed that they should spend their money on something else. Another survey in 2021 found that the U.S. public opinion on which space companies were leading the private sector’s push into space was less divided. A clear majority of respondents believed that Elon Musk's company Space X was leading the private sector’s push into space. This opinion was shared across respondents of all generations.

Do the public want to travel to space?

As of September 2021, the share of U.S. adults that would want to travel to space if money were not an issue was 49 percent. Meanwhile, a slight majority of respondents, 51 percent, had no interest in going to space. Men were more interested in traveling to space than women, with 56 percent of respondents stating that this was the case. Comparatively, only 44 percent of women were interested in going to space. The share of the U.S. public that would go to the moon as a tourist if money were not a factor was smaller than the share that would simply go to space. A total of 61 percent of respondents stated that they would not go to the moon as a tourist, while 37 percent of respondents stated that they would. As of December 2021, the U.S. generation most interested in going to the moon as a tourist if money were not a factor was Gen Z, with 55 percent of respondents stating that this was the case.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Sub-orbital space tourism market size worldwide: 44.5m USD

Amount venture capitalists invested into space companies worldwide: 12.9bn USD

Cumulative equity investment in space companies worldwide: 273bn USD

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Forecast revenue of the orbital space travel and tourism market worldwide from 2021 to 2030 (in million U.S. dollars)

Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Forecast revenue of orbital space travel and tourism worldwide 2021-2030

Sub-orbital space tourism market size worldwide in 2021, with a forecast for 2031, by flight vehicle type (in million U.S. dollars)

Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Global sub-orbital space tourism market size 2021-2031, by flight vehicle type

Share of adults that would want to travel to space if money was not an issue in the United States as of September 2021

Leisure Travel

Share of U.S. adults who want to travel to space 2021

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Market overview

Premium Statistic Global sub-orbital space tourism market size 2021-2031, by flight vehicle type
Global sub-orbital space tourism market size 2021-2031, by flight vehicle type
Sub-orbital space tourism market size worldwide in 2021, with a forecast for 2031, by flight vehicle type (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Forecast revenue of orbital space travel and tourism worldwide 2021-2030
Forecast revenue of orbital space travel and tourism worldwide 2021-2030
Forecast revenue of the orbital space travel and tourism market worldwide from 2021 to 2030 (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Amount invested globally into space companies by venture capitalists 2013-2022
Amount invested globally into space companies by venture capitalists 2013-2022
Amount venture capitalists invested into space companies worldwide from 2013 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Equity investments in space companies worldwide 2013-2022, by type
Equity investments in space companies worldwide 2013-2022, by type
Cumulative equity investment in space companies worldwide from 2013 to 2022, by type (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Share of investment deals in space start-ups worldwide by company in 2020
Share of investment deals in space start-ups worldwide by company in 2020
Distribution of investment deals on space start-ups worldwide in 2020, by company
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Distribution of space start-up investors by type 2000-2020
Distribution of investor groups in space start-ups from 2000 to 2020, by investor type

Public opinion

Premium Statistic U.S. public opinion on which private space companies are leading the space race 2021
U.S. public opinion on which private space companies are leading the space race 2021
Public opinion on which space companies are leading the private sector's push into space in the United States as of December 2021
Premium Statistic U.S. opinion on which private space companies are leading the space race 2021, by age
U.S. opinion on which private space companies are leading the space race 2021, by age
Public opinion on which space companies are leading the private sector's push into space in the United States as of December 2021, by generation
Premium Statistic Share of U.S. adults that believe space travel should be accessible to everyone 2021
Share of U.S. adults that believe space travel should be accessible to everyone 2021
Share of adults that believe space travel should be accessible to everyone and not just those that can afford the costs in the United States as of September 2021
Premium Statistic U.S. public opinion on profitability of space exploration companies in future 2021
U.S. public opinion on profitability of space exploration companies in future 2021
Share of the public that believe private companies focused on space exploration will make a profit in the next 10 years in the United States as of December 2021
Premium Statistic U.S. adults that believe billionaires should spend money on space travel 2021
U.S. adults that believe billionaires should spend money on space travel 2021
Share of adults that believe billionaires should be spending money traveling to space in the United States as of September 2021

Traveler interest

Premium Statistic Share of U.S. adults who want to travel to space 2021
Share of U.S. adults who want to travel to space 2021
Share of adults that would want to travel to space if money was not an issue in the United States as of September 2021
Premium Statistic Share of U.S. adults who want to travel to space 2021, by gender
Share of U.S. adults who want to travel to space 2021, by gender
Share of adults that want to travel to space if money was not an issue in the United States as of September 2021, by gender
Premium Statistic Share of the U.S. public who would go to the moon if money was not a factor 2021
Share of the U.S. public who would go to the moon if money was not a factor 2021
Share of the public that would go to the moon as a tourist if money was not a factor in the United States as of December 2021
Premium Statistic Share of the U.S. public who would go to the moon in 2021, by generation
Share of the U.S. public who would go to the moon in 2021, by generation
Share of the public that would go to the moon as a tourist if money was not a factor in the United States as of December 2021, by generation
Premium Statistic Share of the U.S. public who would go to the moon in 2021, by gender
Share of the U.S. public who would go to the moon in 2021, by gender
Share of the public that would go to the moon as a tourist if money was not a factor in the United States as of December 2021, by gender
Premium Statistic Share of U.S. adults who would travel to the moon 2021, by age
Share of U.S. adults who would travel to the moon 2021, by age
Share of adults that would travel to the moon in the United States as of May 2021, by age
Premium Statistic Share of U.S. adults who would spend over 100 thousand USD to travel to space 2021
Share of U.S. adults who would spend over 100 thousand USD to travel to space 2021
Share of adults that would spend more than 100 thousand U.S. dollars to travel to space in the United States as of September 2021

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