🚀 Alt Destination

The Moon

📍 Low Earth Orbit / Lunar flyby · Launch sites: Texas, Florida, New Mexico
⭐ Research status: technically yes, practically no
"Short answer: suborbital yes, orbital if you know a guy, lunar not commercially. 2 adults + 2 kids at $55M per seat is… decisive."
Yes, space tourism exists. No, you still can't book a week on the Moon. Here's where we actually are in 2026: Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are selling suborbital hops (~10 minutes, 3 minutes of weightlessness, no orbit); Axiom Space has flown private citizens to the ISS for ~$55M a seat; SpaceX's Polaris Dawn did the first commercial spacewalk. Nobody has commercially flown private citizens to the Moon — Space Adventures planned a lunar flyby around Dragonfly/Soyuz that never materialized, and dearMoon was cancelled in 2024. Starship could change this by 2030ish, maybe. Practical conclusion: we can book the kids a suborbital ride for about the cost of 60 Cancún vacations, or the whole family 100 km up for roughly the cost of a small apartment building.
$500k – $55M/seat
Suborbital to ISS private-astronaut range
~10 min
Suborbital flight duration (not a week)
6+ months
Private astronaut training required (orbital+)
∄
Commercial lunar surface tourism (as of 2026)

Status: Included for completeness and because you asked. Actual commercial lunar tourism is still minimum 5–10 years out. The cheapest realistic path to "space vacation" in 2026 is a Blue Origin New Shepard seat at ~$500k, which is still roughly 35 Cancún vacations.

✈️ Logistics reality

  • Suborbital (available): Blue Origin (West Texas) or Virgin Galactic (Spaceport America, NM) — 10-minute joy ride
  • Orbital ISS stay (available, gated): Axiom Space, ~$55M/seat, 6+ months of training required
  • Lunar flyby (not available): SpaceX teased it, dearMoon cancelled, no firm date
  • Lunar surface (not available): NASA Artemis crewed landings targeted 2027+, non-commercial
  • Age and medical gates exist — "family of 4" on a single rocket is not currently offered

🚀 Actual booking options (2026)

  • Blue Origin New Shepard — ~$500k suborbital seat (per reports; officially "inquiry only")
  • Virgin Galactic Delta-class — ~$600k suborbital; Delta fleet entering service
  • Axiom Space private astronaut missions — ~$55M to ISS, full training program
  • SpaceX Polaris-style private missions — bespoke, pricing not public
  • Zero-G Corp parabolic flight — ~$9k/seat; weightlessness without leaving atmosphere
  • High-altitude balloon (Space Perspective) — ~$125k, 30 km up, not technically "space" but the view is the view

✅ Pros

  • Unambiguously the coolest vacation story at any dinner party, forever
  • Overview effect — reported to change how humans think about Earth
  • Zero sargassum on the Moon (confirmed)
  • Direct flight, no connection

⚠️ Cons

  • Price per seat exceeds the down payment on most Vancouver houses
  • You'd spend ~10 minutes in space for ~$500k (suborbital)
  • Children have age minimums at every provider
  • Can't bring the dogs (they've been through enough)
  • No all-inclusive drink package
  • Tova has made clear her ceiling is "airplane"