Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and Blue Origin are among companies that are offering or plan to offer space tourism experiences to paying customers. The costs associated with crafting and operating space craft are high, resulting in recent space tourism offerings that ranged from $250,000 for a suborbital flight to $55 million. The companies offering space tourism services anticipate prices will decrease when they can offer more space flights. One goal is to show space tourists that space travel is safe, routine, and reliable, an important first step toward consumer openness to the expansion of industry and to putting humanity into space. For example, if people are comfortable with space travel, it could increase planned economic activity such as asteroid mining and expeditions to the moon and Mars. There has to be sufficient demand from consumers for companies to invest in larger space projects.

What are the ethical concerns related to innovations in commercial space travel, and how should space tourism marketers address them?