In 2008, Sir Richard Branson pledged that his Virgin Galactic would bring tourists into space within 18 months. Six years later, with tourists still earthbound, Branson promised that 2014 would see the first space flights for civilians. That, of course, didn’t happen either.
In fact, the last six months have been tough for commercial space exploration. In October 2014, NASA blew up an Antares rocket, built by Orbital Sciences, when it malfunctioned seconds after launching. The next month Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crashed over California's Mojave Desert, killing one test pilot and seriously injuring another. And this January, SpaceX’s first attempt at using a reusable rocket failed when it crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.
But despite those setbacks, space tourism will happen. The technology to put humans into space has existed for decades; more than 500 astronauts have flown. And the Russian government took seven paying civilian customers to the International Space Station in the previous decade—and has plans to do so again this year. As former astronaut Kathy Thornton, a veteran of four space shuttle missions and currently an advisor to Space Adventures, said upon retiring from NASA,"The next time I go into space, I’ll be able to take my family with me.”
While we’re waiting for that day, the logistics of space tourism remain open questions. How will we book? How will we board? And will the TSA be involved? We asked experts in the nascent field for their answers about what to expect once space tourism takes off.
How will tourists buy tickets for space travel?
"Tickets will be bought from 'spacelines' just like tickets are bought from airlines,” said Christine Anderson, executive director of Spaceport America, "the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport” and home to Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and SpaceX’s Falcon 9-R rocket.
In fact, you can already apply online to fly with Virgin Galactic. But submitting an application is, as of yet, not the same as a guaranteed reservation. If you're accepted, the full $250,000 fare is due up front as a deposit. And, no, you won’t find better deals by booking on a certain day of the week.
Will passports be required?
"Right now, commercial space passengers are only going on suborbital flights and returning to the spaceport they departed from, so visas and passports aren’t required," Anderson said. "In the future when point-to-point travel between countries is possible, passports will be required."
How will security work?
"Spaceports will have various levels of security," Anderson said. "In the beginning of 'spaceline' travel, spaceport front gate security will be present to check in visitors as they arrive. If you are a passenger, further checks will be required in a similar way to airports."
The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation is responsible for protecting "the public, property, and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States during commercial launch or reentry activities," according to the agency.
A TSA spokesperson declined to comment on any possible role for the organization in space travel, instead referring questions to Congress. There are no official discussions in Congress about TSA being involved in space flight, according to a staff member for one of the congressional committees of jurisdiction for TSA, who agreed to speak to Condé Nast Traveler only on background. Also, according to this staff member, regulations currently view space tourists not as passive passengers but rather as space-flight participants who have consented to and are acknowledging the risks they are taking. TSA is not currently required to vet travelers flying on private, non-commercial airlines that make use of private airfields.
In fact, universal screening of airline passengers wasn’t government mandated until after a rash of hijackings between 1969 and 1974, and the government didn’t assume control for airline screening until after 9/11, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“It wasn’t until maybe 2010 that [TSA] started to maybe get the hang of air travel, as far as streamlining stuff and making things kind of sensible,” said Jason Harrington, a former TSA screener who blogged about his experience on Taking Sense Away and has written about security for Vanity Fair and other publications.
Will space travelers be able to buy duty-free goods in space?
As long as passengers abide by existing regulations about how much of an item is allowed back into the United States, says Carey Davis, an executive director with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), bringing back duty-free goods should be no problem.
Will travel insurance be available for space tourists?
It seems a safe bet that insurers will offer protection for travelers heading into space. “The ability to be able to support people to do something this amazing, of course we’re going to be looking at it,” said Chris Noble, general manager of World Nomads, one company that’s considering making space travel insurance available to commercial astronauts.
Then what would travel insurance for space trips look like?
There’s little need to protect against some of the problems terrestrial travelers face. Personal property theft, lost baggage, and medical interventions—given the likelihood that space carriers won’t allow sick passengers to board—seem unlikely to affect astronauts, Noble said.
Cancellations, though, could be a problem. “As the main concern around this particular type of travel, you could be looking anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 premiums,” Noble said. And given the costs and high risks, he expects the terms and conditions would be tighter than for general travel insurance.
And, in the event of a worse-case scenario, travel insurers will definitely look at including a life-insurance component, Noble predicts.
Will space travelers need to clear customs upon their return to Earth?
Yes. “We’ve been doing it for many decades now,” CBP's Davis said. "Hanging in my assistant commissioner’s office right now is a copy of the customs declaration that the Apollo 11 astronauts filed when they landed back in 1969.”
How will the customs process work?
When astronauts return to the United States, they'll have to clear both customs and immigration just like all other incoming international travelers. (CBP has yet to deny entry to a person arriving from space.) Currently, customs doesn’t have dedicated facilities to clear astronauts upon re-entry. “Generally they’re landing at either military installations or airports that are open ports of entry,” Davis said. "We simply have officers on site once the vessel’s been cleared by the people at NASA that do that to make sure it’s safe. Then we simply clear the people on the manifest."
Customs doesn’t yet have procedures in place geared toward civilian space tourism. “The law right now says someone coming from outside the United States must land at an open port of entry. And ports of entry are designated by law and relegation,” Davis said. "So we would have to work those items out with industry as these things became more mature.”
“A big part of CBP’s mandate is to facilitate legitimate trade and travel,” Davis said. “We want to work with the industry very closely and make sure that they're able to do their business in a way that isn’t obstructive to them, yet meets the needs of the U.S. Government."
What customs documentation will travelers need to re-enter the United States from space?
Customs will require space tourists to complete the same forms as international travelers, Davis said.
Can space travelers use the helpful, timesaving Global Entry program for their re-entry?
Yes. “Global Entry, or if the travelers are Canadian, NEXUS, would be very sensible things for them to join," Davis said. “We suggest it for anyone who is considering travel.”
After space travelers clear customs upon their return, what will they do?
The most probable scenario? Share their photos on Facebook and get a lot of likes.