Parabolic Flight Tourism Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application (Scientific Research & Exploration, Leisure), By End User (Government, Commercial), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030

Report Overview

The global parabolic flight tourism market size was valued at USD 14.5 million in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.5% from 2022 to 2030. Parabolic flights, alternating in downward and upward arcs, reproduce gravity-free requirements in an aircraft. They deliver a microgravity environment for scientists to conduct research without going into space. Parabolic flights are helpful for short-duration technological and scientific investigations in reduced gravity.

These flights are the best way to experiment with microgravity with humans rather than going through long astronaut training and flights to International Space Stations. Parabolic flights are frequently used to train astronauts and validate space instruments before spaceflight. A standard parabolic flight campaign delivers thirty periods of weightlessness per flight, with three flights operated weekly. The aircraft can also fly in arcs that simulate Martian or lunar gravity levels by adjusting the angle of attack.

In April 2022, AstroAccess, an organization encouraging disability inclusion in space exploration, announced they would be flying the 2nd cohort of Disabled Ambassadors on a flight of Zero Gravity Corporation to investigate microgravity accessibility solutions and experience weightlessness. AstroAccess Flight 2 will take place on November 19, 2022, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

In September 2022, SpaceLand, one of the non-governmental weightless research and development agencies focused on space-related training and educational programs, partnered with 0-G Launch, a contributor of high-precision microgravity assistance aircraft and creative Space Jet horizontal rocket air-launch, to commence zero-gravity parabolic flights from Italy, Switzerland, and Mauritius helping STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) user tourists and communities in respective continents, at distinctive quality against cost ratios.

As the first part of this exclusive agreement, 0-G Launch prepares to fly Boeing 757 Space Jet; it's specially modified to SpaceLand training centers to deliver 0-G parabolic flight experiences to researchers and consumers yearly. SpaceLand will organize all ground-based training, programs, and facilities, and 0-G Launch will provide all aircraft-based flight operations.

The industry has significantly evolved across Europe, the U.S., and the Asia Pacific owing to the accessibility of commercial space launches, launch facilities, technological breakthroughs, and parabolic flight tourism. The parabolic flight tourism market is consolidated, with a few players capturing and dominating a significant share of the overall market.

Companies are experimenting with parabolic flights by retrofitting aircraft. The European Space Agency is one such organization that is into retrofitting airplanes for conducting parabolic flights. As the market is anticipated to grow at an exponential rate in the coming years, the companies have invested an enormous sum of the amount.

COVID-19 Impact on the Parabolic Flight Tourism Market

COVID-19 significantly impacted the commercial aviation sector and prevented many from traveling for leisure and business. The decline of the travel and tourism sector has impacted the growth of the parabolic flight tourist sector. It's believed that this effect may lengthen space trips and momentarily halt space exploration efforts. The lockdown forced the suspension of R&D, which detrimentally impacted the development of the parabolic flight tourism sector. Scientific study and exploration were also put on hold to stop the spread of illnesses and protect the employees and personnel's health and safety.

The Space Exploration Initiative has grown to more than fifty faculties, staff, and graduate students and accords an annual ZERO-G parabolic flight for up to fifteen projects and twenty-five researchers. Initially scheduled for May 2020, this flight was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and eventually able to fly on May 20, 2021, just a few days before the regularly scheduled 2021 flight. The projects were tested over multiple microgravity parabolas (which include two lunar parabolas and two Martian).

This task included participation from various departments at MIT and external collaborators from across the world in the mission to democratize admission to space; this mission is a core milestone in the plan of iterative microgravity testing (ISS launches, suborbital launches, parabolic flights) that the Space Exploration Initiative embarks throughout the year. The Initiative unites scientists, engineers, designers, and artists to prototype the space future.

Application Insights

The scientific research and exploration segment dominated the parabolic flight tourism market with a revenue share of almost 65% in 2021. Parabolic flights help companies meet their space research objectives and increase test readiness levels to ensure successful experiments. Parabolic flights provide scientists and researchers with a microgravity environment to conduct research without going into space. Parabolic flights are helpful for short-duration technological and scientific investigations in reduced gravity.

Parabolic flight is a crucial step towards reaching space research objectives and raising test eagerness levels to ensure successful experiments. Experiments conducted in parabolic flights provide scientists and researchers with a microgravity environment to conduct research without going into space. Parabolic flights are helpful for short-duration technological and scientific investigations in reduced gravity. These flights are the best way to experiment with microgravity with humans rather than going through long astronaut training and flights to the International Space Station.

The leisure segment is expected to reach USD 23.1 million in 2030 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 36.2% over the forecast period. The leisure segment includes parabolic flights used for adventure and recreational purposes. Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G), a U.S.-based provider of weightless flight experiences, helped Noah Fulmor and Erin Finnegan, a New York City couple, have the world's first weightless wedding thousands of feet over the Gulf of Mexico. This was achieved with the help of a specially modified Boeing aircraft that performed parabolic flight maneuvers to recreate the weightless experience.

The others segment is anticipated to witness the fastest growth, growing at a CAGR of 36.5% throughout the forecast period. The others segment includes parabolic flights that are used for educational purposes. Several market players are offering innovative weightless experiences across a number of new application areas. For instance, Zero Gravity Corporation organizes weightless workshops that can be customized according to the variety of groups and focused on subjects like physics, history, science, art, and math.

Since 2004, Zero-G (Zero Gravity Corporation) has allowed passengers to experience fake weightlessness through a flight on a revised Boeing 727 aircraft. G-Force One, a nickname of Boeing 727, passes in parabolic arcs, on top of which passengers inside the aircraft “float” in weightlessness for about 30 seconds. According to astronauts, these short, weightlessness experiences are precisely what it feels like to be in space. NASA employs such parabolic flights to prepare their astronauts for missions.

End-user Insights

The government segment held a revenue share of almost 76% in 2021. The government segment includes various initiatives taken by the government on parabolic flights. In January 2022, a commercial for launching a new product was shot in a parabolic flight. AJ Bleyer directed it, and the clients were COINBASE and TEAM LIQUID. The zero-gravity is conducted aboard ZERO-G’s (Zero Gravity Corporation) Boeing 727 G-FORCE ONE.

Weightlessness is accomplished by flying G-FORCE ONE via a parabolic flight maneuver. Specially taught pilots to fly these maneuvers between roughly 24,000- and 34,000- feet altitude. Per parabola takes ten miles of airspace to perform and lasts about one minute from start to finish. That suggests the team took less than a minute to get the shot. The team utilized the Fujinon cinema zoom lenses and RED DSMC2 cinema cameras for the shoot.

The commercial segment is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR of 37.1% throughout the forecast period. The commercial segment includes parabolic flights used for commercial purposes like weddings, commercial advertisements, birthday parties, and games. In August 2022, Mastercard organized a first-of-its-kind football game played in zero gravity conditions. The game was played by the famed football player Luis Figo and a diverse team of football players from the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America at an altitude of 20,230 feet.

The game earned a place in the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS for being the 'Highest Altitude Game of Football (Soccer) on a Parabolic Flight'. In January 2022, a commercial, to announce the collaboration between Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange platform, and Team Liquid, an e-sports organization, was shot in a parabolic flight. Directed by the filmmaker AJ Bleyer, the commercial was shot in zero-gravity aboard Zero Gravity Corporation’s specially modified Boeing aircraft.

The aircraft performed parabolic flight maneuvers to achieve weightlessness. Specially trained pilots performed these maneuvers between roughly 24,000 and 34,000 feet altitude. Since one parabola takes ten miles of airspace to perform and lasts about one minute from start to finish, the team had less than a minute to get the shot. The team utilized the Fujinon cinema zoom lenses and RED DSMC2 cinema cameras for the shoot.

In October 2021, ZERO-G (Zero Gravity Corporation) was awarded a contract by NASA to be their first FAA-approved and commercially operated parabolic flight provider. The contract is an IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity) for up to USD 7.5 million over five years. The award is significant as it allows all NASA Centers and other government entities around the country to purchase ZERO-G research flights directly from the company.

Regional Insights

North America led with a revenue share of 58.5% in 2021. The area has a highly developed infrastructure and a sizable research and development base, contributing to regional dominance. Modern technology has been implemented more quickly thanks to established infrastructure. The significant presence of small and medium players offers components and services to the industry giants, propelling regional growth. Due to the preference for parabolic flight tourism among wealthy people and the expansion of scientific research in the area, the U.S. is anticipated to maintain its supremacy over the projected period.

Asia Pacific is expected to develop substantially during the projection period and grow at a CAGR of 37.6%. Significant contributors to the growth include the CNSA (China National Space Administration), ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). In April 2021, the space agencies of India (ISRO) and France agreed to cooperate for the country's first human space mission, Gaganyaan. France will contribute to India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight program under this arrangement. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has asked the

French space agency National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) to prepare for Gaganyaan missions and to serve as its sole European connection in this sector. According to the agreement, CNES trains India's flight physicians and CAPCOM (capsule communicator) mission control teams in France at the CADMOS center to develop space operations and microgravity applications at CNES in Toulouse and the EAC (European Astronaut Centre) in Cologne, Germany. This cooperation could be expanded to parabolic flights conducted by Novespace for astronaut training and to test instruments, as well as technical support for constructing an astronaut training center in Bengaluru.

With a modified Airbus A300 airliner, Novespace, a branch of France's CNES (National Centre for Space Studies) space agency and the seventeen-nation European Space Agency, led the sector in scientific deployment. The Airbus is considered to be a scientific research facility. It manufactures one of the largest planes in the world for scientific communities to experience a weightless flight. French test pilots fly the Airbus via an 8,000-foot-high air corridor over the Atlantic to achieve weightlessness. During the high ascent and fall, passengers feel double their normal weight, but when engine power is sharply reduced, they enjoy twenty-two seconds of weightlessness along the arc's top.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Due to the presence of multiple competitors, the market is consolidated and is expected to experience higher rivalry. The deployment of space hotels has increased rivalry among these firms since major players are investing considerably in research and development operations to integrate modern technologies in spacecraft used for tourism. The prominent industry players concentrate on providing persons with access to scientific or research exploration, thereby generating a leisurely journey for tourists. These businesses are also partnering with regional and local businesses as well as aeronautical groups to obtain a competitive advantage over their rivals and take over a sizeable portion of the market. Some prominent players in the global parabolic flight tourism market include:

• Zero Gravity Corporation

• Novespace

• MiGFlug GmbH

• Vegitel

• Space Adventures

• Beings Systems

• Airbus Group SE

• ASTRAX

Parabolic Flight Tourism Market Report Scope

Global Parabolic Flight Tourism Market Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growths at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2020 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global parabolic flight tourism market report based on application, end-user, and region:

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 - 2030)

  • Scientific Research & Exploration

  • Leisure

  • Others

• End-user Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 - 2030)

  • Government

  • Commercial

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • France

    • Germany

    • U.K.

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa