WATCH: Billionaire private astronauts. But when can we get to fly?

It’s another big step in a new era of space exploration. Oh, and it’s costing $55 million each for the four billionaire passengers - dinner, bed and breakfast included. So, don’t hold your breath if you’re planning on heading beyond the heavens any time soon.

But a B.C. space historian says this form of private voyage has to start somewhere and it will ultimately open far more doors to the paying public, although it’s impossible to predict if and when the average person will ever get into space.

The four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch Friday morning of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft with the Ax-1 crew members, including Canadian Mark Pathy, an entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist from Montreal. He’s travelling with Spanish-American Michael López-Alegría, American Larry Connor, and Isreali Eytan Stibbe.

The crew will spend more than a week conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities on the space station.

“It is a big step to opening up space to people paying their own fare there,” astronomer ambassador and space flight writer, Chris Gainor, told Kelowna10. “We’ve heard about the flights from Richard Branson and William Shatner last year, but those were just up and down things.”

He explained it’s a much more dangerous and more expensive flight compared to those celebrity adventures.

“It does involve very rich people again, but that’s kind of where things have to start for private space flight because no one else has the money," Gainor noted, adding at least these sorts of trips no longer involve massive amounts of taxpayer dollars.

So, when might all this lead to the chance of space flight for the average person? Gainor said that’s likely still decades away but the continued success of SpaceX’s reusable rockets make it all a real possibility.

“It may be longer than 10 or 20 years, but I think as we get more flights into space the price will come down. SpaceX has already done a big part of it by building reusable rickets. The one used today, this was its fifth flight,” he said.

So, keep saving, you never know.

But if you’re looking for a nice, safe trip away, don’t ditch your bus pass just yet.