Chinese Startup Sells Space Flight Tickets for RMB1.5 Million

Chinese startup Deep Blue Aerospace has sold two tickets for its inaugural suborbital flight set to take place in 2027 – at the tune of RMB1.5 million (US$210,000) per a seat.

Nebula-1 is the company’s first reusable commercial rocket capable of reaching orbit. The flight will last about 12 minutes, which breaks down to RMB83,333 per a minute – seems pretty reasonable to us.

The sale was hosted by Deep Blue Aerospace chairman Huo Liang through a livestream on Taobao on October 24 – with over three million people tuning in.

The tickets sold immediately, but the buyers’ identities have not been made public. All we know is that they meet the company’s requirements of being between the ages of 18 and 60, and that they will have to meet specific health standards to make the journey.

Deep Blue Aerospace is one of several companies trying to break into the space tourism industry – including Elon Musk’s SpaceX. These flights have often faced delays, and Deep Blue Aerospace has admitted they have a lot of work to do to make sure the rocket is safe and stick to their 2027 timeline.

[Images via Deep Blue Aerospace]