SpaceX to do its first tourist flight in 2021?

It's several years later than expected but SpaceX now believes it will be able to send its first tourists into space in 2021. The plan is to send up to four tourists into orbit for up to five-days. SpaceX will use its Crew Dragon space capsule for this feat.

The private spaceflight company founded by billionaire Elon Musk has signed an agreement with the U.S. space tourism company Space Adventures to launch up to four passengers on an orbital trip aboard a Crew Dragon space capsule. The mission would last up to five days and could launch as early as late 2021, Space Adventures representatives told Space.com.

"This historic mission will forge a path to making spaceflight possible for all people who dream of it, and we are pleased to work with the Space Adventures team on the mission," SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement from Space Adventures.

The flight will allow up to four wealthy individuals to break the world altitude record for private citizen spaceflight. The cost of a ticket is unknown but it's expected to be in the range of what was charged by Space Adventures for the private trips that were made to the International Space Station (ISS). This implies these trips will cost around $30 million or more. More details at Space.com.