Editing Human spaceflight (section)

=== Commercial private spaceflight ===
{{Update section|date=September 2024}}
[[File:SpaceShipOne Flight 15P photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|[[SpaceShipOne]], first private sub-orbital spaceplane]]
[[File:Crew Dragon at the ISS for Demo Mission 1 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|[[Crew Dragon]], first private orbital spacecraft]]

Since the early 2000s, a variety of [[private spaceflight]] ventures have been undertaken. {{As of|2024|November|post=,}} [[SpaceX]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=SpaceX's Historic Demo-2 Crew Dragon Astronaut Test Flight: Full Coverage |url=https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-demo-2-test-flight-explained.html |last=Wall |first=Mike |date=2 August 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007113205/https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-demo-2-test-flight-explained.html |archive-date=7 October 2024 |access-date=14 November 2024 |website=[[Space.com]]}}</ref> and [[Boeing]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test |url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission/boeing-crewflighttest/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916042346/https://www.nasa.gov/mission/boeing-crewflighttest/ |archive-date=16 September 2024 |access-date=14 November 2024 |website=Nasa.gov}}</ref> have launched humans to orbit,{{NoteTag|Both missions were to the [[International Space Station]].}} while [[Blue Origin]] has launched 8 crewed flights, six of which crossed the [[Kármán line]].<ref>{{Cite web |title='One of the Cleanest Flights I've Seen.' Blue Origin Launches 6 People to Space, Lands Safely on NS-26 Flight (Video) |url=https://www.space.com/blue-origin-ns-26-suborbital-space-tourism-launch |last=Wall |first=Mike |date=29 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007101912/https://www.space.com/blue-origin-ns-26-suborbital-space-tourism-launch |archive-date=7 October 2024 |access-date=14 November 2024 |website=[[Space.com]]}}</ref>{{NoteTag|There is no internationally recognized definition for the boundary of space; although the Kármán line ({{convert|100|km}}) is commonly used, distances ranging from {{convert|30|km}} to {{convert|1600000|km}} have been proposed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Kármán Line: Where Space Begins |url=https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/the-karman-line-where-does-space-begin/ |last=Betz |first=Eric |date=27 November 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109091125/https://www.astronomy.com/web/20241109091125/https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/the-karman-line-where-does-space-begin/ |archive-date=9 November 2024 |access-date=14 November 2024 |website=[[Astronomy (magazine)|Astronomy]]}}</ref>}} [[Virgin Galactic]] has launched crew to a height above {{cvt|80|km}} on a suborbital trajectory.<ref name="spaceshiptwoflight">{{cite web |last=Malik |first= Tariq |title=Virgin Galactic's 4th Powered Test Flight of SpaceShipTwo Unity in Twitter Posts |url=https://www.space.com/42725-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-unity-4th-powered-flight-twitter-updates.html |date=13 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427085514/https://www.space.com/42725-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-unity-4th-powered-flight-twitter-updates.html |archive-date=27 April 2021 |website=[[Space.com]] |access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref> Several other companies, including [[Sierra Nevada Corporation|Sierra Nevada]] and [[Copenhagen Suborbitals]], have developed crewed spacecraft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sierra Space Working with NASA on Crewed Dream Chaser |url=https://spaceref.com/newspace-and-tech/sierra-space-working-with-nasa-on-crewed-dream-chaser/ |last=Messier |first=Douglas |date=7 September 2023 |access-date=14 November 2024 |website=SpaceRef}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Spica |url=https://copenhagensuborbitals.com/missions/spica/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002180846/https://copenhagensuborbitals.com/missions/spica/ |archive-date=2024-10-02 |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=[[Copenhagen Suborbitals]]}}</ref> SpaceX, Boeing, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic plan to fly commercial passengers in the emerging [[space tourism]] market.<ref name="CNBC Space Tourism">{{cite web |last1=Sheetz |first1=Michael |title=Investing in Space How SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and others compete in the growing space tourism market |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/26/space-tourism-how-spacex-virgin-galactic-blue-origin-axiom-compete.html |website=CNBC |date=26 September 2020 |access-date=4 January 2025}}</ref>

[[SpaceX]] has developed [[Crew Dragon]] flying on [[Falcon 9]]. It first launched astronauts to orbit and to the ISS in May 2020 as part of the [[Crew Dragon Demo-2|Demo-2]] mission. Developed as part of NASA's [[Commercial Crew Development]] program, the capsule is also available for flights with other customers. A first tourist mission, [[Inspiration4]], launched in September 2021.<ref name=Inspiration4>{{cite web |last1=Atkinson |first1=Ian |title=SpaceX launches Inspiration4, first all-private orbital mission |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/09/spacex-launch-inspiration4/ |website=NASASpaceflight.com |date=15 September 2021 |access-date=16 September 2021}}</ref>

[[Boeing Defense, Space & Security|Boeing]] developed the [[Boeing Starliner|Starliner]] capsule as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Development program, which is launched on a [[United Launch Alliance]] [[Atlas V]] launch vehicle.<ref name=nasaAnnounce20140906>{{cite web |title=American Companies Selected to Return Astronaut Launches to American Soil |last=Bolden |first=Charlie |url=http://blogs.nasa.gov/bolden/2014/09/16/american-companies-selected-to-return-astronaut-launches-to-american-soil/ |website=NASA.gov |date=16 September 2014 |access-date=16 September 2014}}</ref> Starliner made an uncrewed flight in December 2019. A second uncrewed flight attempt was launched in May 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Stephen |title=NASA official says Starliner demo mission not likely to launch until next year |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/09/22/nasa-official-says-starliner-demo-mission-not-likely-to-launch-until-next-year/ |website=Spaceflight Now |access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref> A crewed flight to fully certify Starliner was launched in June 2024.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Berger |first1=Eric |title=Boeing to ground Starliner indefinitely until valve issue solved |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/08/boeing-to-ground-starliner-indefinitely-until-valve-issue-solved/ |website=Ars Technica |date=13 August 2021 |access-date=16 September 2021}}</ref> Similar to SpaceX, development funding has been provided by a mix of [[government funding|government]] and [[private capital|private]] funds.<ref name=sn20140921>{{cite news |last1=Foust|first1=Jeff |title=NASA Commercial Crew Awards Leave Unanswered Questions |url=http://www.spacenews.com/article/civil-space/41924nasa-commercial-crew-awards-leave-unanswered-questions |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140921132432/http://www.spacenews.com/article/civil-space/41924nasa-commercial-crew-awards-leave-unanswered-questions |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 September 2014 |access-date=21 September 2014 |work=Space News |date=19 September 2014 |quote="We basically awarded based on the proposals that we were given", Kathy Lueders, NASA commercial crew program manager, said in a teleconference with reporters after the announcement. "Both contracts have the same requirements. The companies proposed the value within which they were able to do the work, and the government accepted that".}}</ref><ref name=NASApress20140916>{{cite web |title=Release 14-256 NASA Chooses American Companies to Transport U.S. Astronauts to International Space Station |url=http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/september/nasa-chooses-american-companies-to-transport-us-astronauts-to-international |website=www.nasa.gov |publisher=NASA |access-date=29 October 2014}}</ref>

[[Virgin Galactic]] is developing [[SpaceshipTwo]], a commercial [[suborbital spaceflight|suborbital]] spacecraft aimed at the [[space tourism]] market. It reached space in December 2018.<ref name="spaceshiptwoflight"/>

[[Blue Origin]] is in a multi-year [[flight test|test]] program of their [[New Shepard]] vehicle and has carried out [[New Shepard#Flight list|thirty one launches]] as of May 2025, including twenty uncrewed test flights and eleven crewed flights. The first crewed flight, carrying founder [[Jeff Bezos]], his brother [[Mark Bezos]], aviator [[Wally Funk]], and 18-year old [[Oliver Daemen]] launched on July 20, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wattles |first=Jackie |last2=Sangal |first2=Aditi |last3=Macaya |first3=Melissa |last4=Mahtani |first4=Melissa |last5=Wagner |first5=Meg |last6=Vogt |first6=Adrienne |date=2021-07-20 |title=Jeff Bezos goes to space: Live updates {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/jeff-bezos-space-flight-07-20-21 |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>