What Space Affairs does

Space Affairs is a Germany-based space tourism and astronaut training experience company, operated as a sole proprietorship by founder Andreas P. Bergweiler from Waldesch, Germany under the legal name 'Andreas P. Bergweiler'. Founded in 2000, the business organizes access to restricted Russian and European space infrastructure for civilian and media clients, including Soyuz launch expeditions to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Soyuz landing expeditions in Kazakhstan, Zero-G parabolic flights aboard the Ilyushin 76MDK, MIG-29 edge-of-space flights, and astronaut training courses spanning sea survival (Kudepsta), centrifuge (TfS-18), EVA neutral buoyancy, and parabolic flight familiarization. A high-altitude balloon product ('Bloon') and a forward-looking 'Stardust' tier (Orbital Spaceflight, Bloostar) round out the catalog.

The underlying 'technology' is operational rather than proprietary: there is no software platform, AI capability, or patent portfolio disclosed. The core asset is the operator's personal relationships with the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) Star City, the Kudepsta Training Camp near Sochi, and the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, plus twenty-plus years of accumulated mission documentation (e.g., a music CD sent to the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-2 in 2003 that orbited for 182 days, 18 hours and 21 minutes). Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer via a bilingual (English/German) website and direct email/phone contact, with a newsletter funnel and a 'Book of Stars' testimonials section serving as the primary marketing surface.

Revenue is generated per-expedition from a small number of high-ticket, quote-priced experiences aimed at high-net-worth space enthusiasts, media/film productions requiring zero-G environments, and aspiring space participants seeking authentic training exposure. The firm has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and operates with a headcount in the 11-50 range. Three scheduled 2022 expeditions (Soyuz MS-21 launch, Soyuz MS-19 landing, and Zero-G 2022-1) are listed as 'Cancelled' on the website, indicating material exposure to event-driven disruption.

Name

Space Affairs

Legal name

Andreas P. Bergweiler

Website

https://space-affairs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Space Affairs is a German sole proprietorship, founded in 2000 by Andreas P. Bergweiler, that organizes civilian space tourism and astronaut training experiences including Soyuz expeditions to Baikonur, Zero-G parabolic flights, and Russian/ESA training programs for high-net-worth individuals and media clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Space Tourism Services

NAICS

Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219), Air Transportation (481)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)

Keywords

• Space tourism services
• Astronaut training programs
• Parabolic flight experiences
• Commercial spaceflight
• Cosmonaut training

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Space Expeditions and Experiences: Revenue generated from organizing and selling access to space-related experiences including Soyuz launch and landing expeditions, Zero-G parabolic flights, edge-of-space flights with MIG jets, astronaut training programs, and Bloon (high-altitude balloon) trips. These are one-time experience-based services with custom pricing.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Space Affairs organizes and sells access to space-related experiences and astronaut training, including Soyuz lift-off and landing expeditions to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Zero-G parabolic flights on the Ilyushin 76MDK aircraft, MIG edge-of-space flights, high-altitude Bloon balloon trips, and real cosmonaut training programs at GCTC Star City and the European Astronaut Centre. The company brokers civilian access to authentic Russian space program facilities and equipment, offering customers once-in-a-lifetime space experiences and structured astronaut preparation courses.

Product overview

Space Affairs is a space experience and astronaut training service company offering a comprehensive portfolio of space-related adventures across five distinct categories. The Lift-Off category serves as the main entry point, while the Explorers program provides Soyuz launch expeditions to Baikonur cosmodrome and landing expeditions in Kazakhstan, plus Bloon balloon flights. The Floaters program features Zero-G Freestyle parabolic flights and The Flying Stage for media productions using the Ilyushin 76MDK aircraft. The Endurance program offers Astronautics training including centrifuge, sea survival, and EVA training. The Stardust program covers Orbital Spaceflight missions and Bloostar balloon-to-orbit services. The company operates from Germany under founder Andreas P. Bergweiler and has facilitated space experiences since 2000, including notable projects like sending a music CD to the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-2 in 2003.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Road to the Stars (Soyuz Lift-Off Expedition) A 5-day expedition to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan that lets participants witness a live Soyuz rocket launch. Designed for high-net-worth space enthusiasts seeking an authentic front-row experience of a crewed space launch.
• Returning from Space (Soyuz Landing Expedition) A 5-day expedition to Kazakhstan enabling participants to witness a Soyuz crew's return from space. Targeted at space tourists and enthusiasts who want to experience a crewed landing in the Kazakh steppe.
• Bloon (High-Altitude Balloon Flight) A day trip featuring a high-altitude balloon flight marketed as the 'day trip of a lifetime', providing civilians with an introductory edge-of-space experience.
• Zero-G Freestyle (Parabolic Flight Experience) A parabolic flight experience that creates 25-30 second periods of weightlessness per parabola, allowing individual participants to float freely in the absence of gravity aboard the Ilyushin 76MDK.
• The Flying Stage (Zero-G for Media and Film) A dedicated Zero-G parabolic flight experience on the Ilyushin 76MDK tailored for media and film productions needing authentic weightlessness sequences and a flying-studio environment.
• Astronautics (Real Astronaut Training) A structured real astronaut training program offering centrifuge training (TfS-18), sea survival training, EVA training in hydrolabs, and parabolic flight familiarization for suborbital and orbital space missions. Designed for aspiring private astronauts and serious space training participants.
• Orbital Spaceflight Full orbital spaceflight experiences and beyond, offering participants the opportunity to fly to Earth orbit through arranged missions.
• Bloostar (Balloon-to-Orbit Service)

Quantifiable outcome

• CD 'Flyin' So High' orbited ISS for 182 days, 18 hours and 21 minutes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Astronaut Centre (EAC) ColognecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partnership with ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany for neutral buoyancy facility training and astronaut preparation courses.
• Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) Star CitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2001Strategic partnership with the Russian GCTC in Star City for conducting astronaut training programs including sea survival training, centrifuge training (TfS-18), and facility access. The company founder was the first civilian to complete full water survival training at this facility.
• Kudepsta Training Camp (Sochi)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2001Partnership with the Kudepsta training camp near Sochi, Russia for sea survival training exercises conducted in the Black Sea aboard the SB-36 vessel.
• Photo DoseminorOthersGerman sponsor for expedition documentation and photography during training programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Axiom Space: Private space infrastructure company organizing private astronaut missions to the ISS — competes with Space Affairs' Orbital Spaceflight offering but at a fundamentally larger scale and with institutional NASA partnerships.
• Virgin Galactic: Publicly-traded suborbital spaceflight company offering actual spaceflights — competes with Space Affairs in the broader space tourism market but operates at vastly larger scale and offers real orbital/suborbital flights rather than proxy experiences.
• Blue Origin: Aerospace company offering New Shepard suborbital space tourism flights — competes with Space Affairs for HNW space tourist dollars but offers actual spaceflight rather than ground-based or parabolic proxy experiences.

Emerging players

• Elysium Space: Space memorial services company that has flown ashes and DNA to space — adjacent to Space Affairs in the civilian space experience market, particularly for symbolic and once-in-a-lifetime space offerings.
• World View Enterprises: US company developing high-altitude balloon flights for tourism and remote sensing — comparable to Space Affairs' Bloon high-altitude balloon day-trip experience in both technology (stratospheric balloon) and target market.
• Space Perspective: US startup developing Spaceship Neptune — a high-altitude balloon experience carrying passengers to the edge of space — directly comparable to Space Affairs' Bloon offering in technology and customer segment.

Direct peers

• Zero Gravity Corporation: US operator of parabolic 'Weightless Flight' experiences on a modified Boeing 727 — directly comparable to Space Affairs' Zero-G Freestyle parabolic flight product in terms of offering and customer use case.
• MiGFlug: Switzerland-based operator offering edge-of-space flights in MIG-29 fighter jets and aerobatic experiences — directly comparable to Space Affairs' MIG edge-of-space product on aircraft and target customer (adventure-seeking HNW individuals).
• Space Adventures: The leading US-based space tourism broker that has arranged all private Soyuz flights to the ISS and sells similar expedition packages to Baikonur and cosmonaut training — the closest direct competitor to Space Affairs in the Western market.
• Incredible Adventures: US operator selling high-end experiential packages including MIG flights, cosmonaut training in Star City, and Zero-G flights — overlaps directly with Space Affairs on the experiential space tourism package offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/space_traveller

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Space Affairs