What we need to do is advance technology so that it is affordable for tourists. A total of 43 of the session's 81 students worked on the project. Space tourism would create a new destination for wealthy travelers and also open up space to entirely new industries. Flights would begin with brief sub-orbital missions followed by orbital trips. The orbital missions could serve as transports to space hotels or as independent cruise flights lasting several days.
High cost is the major barrier.
Most businesses think that the advancement of technology is too long term to get them money now. The private sector needs to be encouraged to develop this technology. The students did not explore how much it would cost to develop the required technologies. They said it was outside of the scope of the nine-week project. Despite the challenges, some on the team believe that tourism is not very far off.