Blue Origin set to start sale of space tourism tickets on Wednesday

Space company Blue Origin is set to launch the sale of tickets to space tourists on Wednesday.

The trip involves a suborbital sightseeing for six passengers on its New Shepard spacecraft. The tourists will fly 100km above Earth into suborbital space and experience a few minutes of weightlessness as they take in the sight of the planet's curvature.

If successful it will mark a milestone for the private commercial space travel industry which is still on the drawing-board.

Jeff Bezos’ company is expected to announce details on how to purchase a seat, the timing of the first flight, and the cost for a ticket.

Reuters reported in 2018 that Blue was planning to charge passengers at least $200,000 for the ride.

Competitors such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Virgin Galactic are also aiming to fly private customers soon, with the latter expecting to begin trips in early 2022.