The "space tourism vehicle" developed by Chinese commercial space company CAS Space is scheduled to launch in 2027 and reach space's edge in 2028, as per an official media report on Friday, according to Reuters.
Days before, Blue Origin, the company backed by Jeff Bezos, had declared that crewed operations would begin on Sunday after a nearly two-year pause, using its New Shepard rocket to carry out short-duration space missions with cargo and people.
According to CAS Space, the vehicle will have a tourist cabin that can accommodate seven people per flight and has four panoramic windows. Ten spacecraft will be ready to shuttle visitors to the edge of space every 100 hours, according to the company's plans, which involve launching from a recently constructed aerospace theme park.
According to official media, tickets for each trip will cost between 2 million and 3 million yuan ($415,127) per person.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences, the largest governmental research organization in China, is the second-largest shareholder in Guangzhou-based CAS Space, which was created in 2018.
With the launch of the Chang'e-6 mission earlier this month, China's space exploration program has closed the gap with the US program and may be the first to return samples from the moon's far side.
The launch site in the Chinese province of Hainan saw a flood of tourists following that event. Tens of thousands gathered in various viewing locations close to the launch site before blast-off, causing long traffic jams.
