What to expect when flying

Departure

Horizontal and vertical launches are very different. Horizontal launches will be flown to high altitudes before detaching from the aircraft carrier and continuing the journey beyond the Kármán line. Vertical launches will be the same as astronauts have been experiencing for decades, with the intense burst of power shooting craft towards the heavens. The launch could arguably be the most enjoyable part for thrill-seekers.

Inflight experience

Virgin Galactic and

Blue Origin will offer the views of space, the curvature of the Earth and weightlessness for about six and four minutes respectively. SpaceX’s space tourism trip to the Moon is an endeavour that takes days. This prolonged visit to space will have effects on the human body and its vestibular and proprioceptive systems, leading to feelings of nausea and disorientation.

Landing

Horizontal landings wouldn’t be too dissimilar to an aeroplane landing on a runway. However, a vertical launch would lead to being parachuted down in your capsule into a desert, where you’d be collected and returned.

Arrival

Suborbital flights to the same destination don’t require a passport, as you’re not crossing any borders. However, pointto-point spaceflights will require your passport, for example on SpaceX’s New York to Shanghai spaceflight. Returning from the ISS or the Moon may require you to fill out a customs declaration form, as even the Apollo astronauts had to do this.