'The ticket changed my destiny'

XCOR tests fire its Lynx engine with a lightweight nozzle.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"I work at a bank, so it's natural for me to minimize risks. I've prepared for the worst-case scenario - that I die in space."

Tong has learned functions of the spacecraft's buttons. "What if something is wrong with the pilot?" she asks. "We should know how to deal with it."

She hasn't told her parents about her plans to travel into space because she doesn't want them to worry. "(Many) people have gone into space," she says. "I won't be the first. I think it's relatively safe, and I accept the risks."

Tong, a private client manager at China Minsheng Bank, says most of the billionaire clients she works with are also interested in taking a trip to space. "They say they'll go if I return safely."

About 10 of her 50 wealthiest clients have made such pledges, she says.

Tong believes the extremes of the spaceflight will change her perspective on life, adding that the trips to the Arctic and Antarctic also changed her outlook. "I became tolerant of others and passionate about environmental protection," she says.

"The spaceflight will open a new chapter in my life. The ticket cost equals two years of my income. But life is an experience. Even if I don't make it back to Earth, I won't regret the trip. The spaceflight makes think seriously about death."

It has also made her think about some of the next adventures in her life - marriage and motherhood.

"Media are chasing me because I'm a single woman in my 40s with a well-paid job and good English-speaking skills," Tong says.

"I want to show the world a new image of Chinese women - independent, strong and confident. But I still long to marry and become a mom."