British billionaire Richard Branson of the Virgin Group on Sunday (July 11) became the first, but not the last, to make it to space and back, getting a taste of the "private astronaut experience".

       Here are a few more wealthy, space-bound tourists set to follow in taking similarly giant leaps for mankind, when they take their own commercial trips beyond Earth's atmosphere:

       Jeff Bezos

       PHOTO: REUTERS

       Who: Founder of Amazon, one of the world's largest companies. He also founded space tourism venture Blue Origin in 2000.

       Estimated net worth: US$201 billion (S$271.65 billion)

       Flight date: July 20. Mr Bezos will embark on a space flight with his brother Mark, aviation pioneer Wally Funk and the winner of an online auction, who will be named later.

       Ticket price: Blue Origin has not announced official prices, but ticket prices are estimated to be US$200,000 to US$300,000.

       Elon Musk

       PHOTO: AFP

       Who: SpaceX chief executive

       Estimated net worth: US$162 billion

       Flight date: No date set.

       Ticket price: Mr Musk reportedly paid a US$10,000 deposit to reserve a seat on a future Virgin Galatic voyage.

       Jared Isaacman

       PHOTO: JARED ISAACMAN/ TWITTER

       Who: Founder and CEO of Pennsylvania-based Shift4 Payments, a payment processing company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

       Estimated net worth: US$2 billion

       Flight date: October 2021

       Ticket price: He did not reveal how much he paid for chartering a SpaceX rocket and spacecraft, but said the mission was to raise at least US$200 million for St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee.

       Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano

       Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa (left) and his assistant Yozo Hirano. PHOTO: YOZO HIRANO/INSTAGRAM

       Who: Mr Maezawa is a Japanese entrepreneur who founded online fashion store Zozo while Mr Hirano is a film producer who will document Mr Maezawa's flight.

       Estimated net worth: US$2 billion (Mr Maezawa)

       Flight date: Dec 8, 2021

       Ticket price: Space Adventures, a space tourism company, did not disclose how much the trip to the International Space Station (ISS) it is planning for Mr Maezawa will cost the billionaire, who will also be sponsoring Mr Hirano's trip.

       Previous space tourists have reportedly paid between US$20 million and US$40 million.

       Mr Maezawa is also scheduled to go around the Moon on a SpaceX flight in 2023.

       Larry Connor, Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe

       PHOTO:

       @XIOM_SPACE/ TWITTER

       Who: Mr Connor is an American entrepreneur while Canadian Mr Pathy and Israeli Mr Stibbe are both investors and philanthropist.

       Estimated net worth: Not available

       Flight date: By January 2022

       Ticket price: US$55 million each to stay at the ISS for eight days.

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