How SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and others compete in the growing space tourism market

How SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and others compete in the growing space tourism market

There's an emerging industry thought to be only science fiction not too long ago that's close to becoming a reality: space tourism.  And a handful of companies – including one publicly traded name – are competing neck and neck to be leaders in the emerging market.But what space tourism entails, and how much it costs per person, varies greatly depending on a company's technological capabilities.  For example, both Virgin Galactic and SpaceX expect to fly private paying passengers to space next year. But, while passengers flying with both companies would go to space by the Federal Aviation Administration's definition, a Virgin Galactic passenger spends about 0.04% as much time in space as on a SpaceX trip, while a ride with Elon Musk's company is expected to cost roughly 200 times as much.Whether a passenger reaches