The race between superpowers

Around the world , ever since American billionaire Denis Tito became the first tourist to fly into space and visit the International Space Station (ISS) in 2001, the space tourism industry has begun to move forward and has rapidly made significant strides.

China is actively developing its space tourism industry, with several companies announcing plans to take tourists into space. Deep Blue Aerospace is expected to begin commercial flights in 2027, with tickets costing around $125,000 for a six-hour flight.

CAS Space, a company based in Guangzhou, China, also has similar plans, with the expectation of launching space tourism flights in 2028, with ticket prices ranging from 2-3 million yuan (US$415,127) per person per trip.

Meanwhile, many private American companies are betting on space tourism to make the dream more accessible to the average person. Even NASA has changed its stance on the field, announcing plans to open the International Space Station (ISS) to tourists.

Currently, three aerospace companies—Blue Origin, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos; Virgin Galactic, owned by British billionaire Richard Branson; and SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk—are fiercely competing in the race to conquer space, with a potential market value of approximately $3 billion per year by 2030.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has predicted that space tourism will become a "billion-dollar" industry, despite the fact that it is a business requiring large investments and involving considerable risks and dangers.

In the future, space tourism will help create a competitive space economy , similar to mass tourism, with airfares having fallen significantly over the past six decades. And now, space tourism prices have become more competitive, making them accessible to a wider audience.

Representatives from the American company Space Perspective affirmed that space travel is no longer exclusively for billionaires, but for everyone. Passengers booking a ride on the company's Spaceship Neptune will have the opportunity to visit the edge of space to admire the curvature of the Earth. The flight lasts 6 hours and costs $125,000 (3 billion VND).

In addition, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and several other companies are also developing space travel programs, aiming to make space travel as simple and convenient as possible for humans. So, what is the cheapest cost for a space exploration journey? According to professional astronauts, $50,000 or even $500,000 are all very reasonable prices for any space journey.

“This trip will change the lives of passengers forever. It’s not just a simple experience like you’re in a movie theater. What passengers experience is difficult to put into words, and the experience will remain in their minds forever, especially the connection with our beloved Earth and the awe-inspiring, breathtaking beauty of the universe,” said astronaut Scott Parazynski.

On April 14, 2025, billionaire Jeff Bezos's reusable New Shepard rocket-launching system successfully carried an all-female crew into space and brought them safely back to Earth. This was the first all-female space flight since June 16, 1963.

Notably, the space journey included Amanda Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American and the founder and CEO of the NGO Rise. Astronaut Amanda Nguyen carried 169 lotus seeds on her space exploration mission. While floating in space, Amanda Nguyen said, "Hello Vietnam," and smiled.

The image of Vietnamese people conquering space in the vast expanse of outer space, shouting "Vietnam!", has left an indelible mark of admiration and pride for the nation. It represents the feeling of overcoming oneself to reach the dream of "touching the sky."

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/du-lich/cuoc-dua-giua-nhung-cuong-quoc-145122.html