At present, space travel is only affordable to the rich, yet companies involved with space tourism are working to lower costs and make space tourism available to a larger group of people.
Traveling into space can give you a unique perspective of our universe while shortening travel times to other locations on Earth.
Reusable Launch Vehicles
Reusable rockets have recently received considerable attention, and it’s easy to see why: their use can drastically lower space travel costs – an exciting development in terms of space tourism.
However, space tourism still faces many hurdles to become mainstream for everyone. One significant hurdle is cost; space travel remains prohibitively expensive for all but the wealthiest members of society.
Virgin Galactic debuted on the stock market last year and competes against Blue Origin – owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos – to bring space tourism closer to reality. Without substantial cost reductions on flights, however, bringing space tourism into mainstream society may never happen.
Reusable rockets can make space travel more cost-effective, but they aren’t the only factor to keep in mind when considering space travel costs. Beyond research, development, testing and fuel costs if the launch fails is also costly – millions in total! For this reason many organizations do not consider reusability an option for their missions; ArianeGroup operates the International Space Station via a consortium. At the SATELLITE show in Washington DC Henoux stated that customers of ArianeGroup were generally more concerned with functionality, reliability and timeliness rather than whether a rocket was reusable.
Another challenge of space tourism regulation lies in its implementation. At present, only flights sanctioned by governments include official business trips for scientists to the ISS or other planets. With time comes a growing industry which must establish regulations which ensure safety and security for tourists.
Space tourism raises environmental issues. A single passenger on a space flight generates 50 to 100 times more carbon dioxide emissions than those who travel by long airplane flight, while rockets play a substantial role in depleting Earth’s ozone layer by emitting soot and trapping heat in its atmosphere.
Orbital Accommodation
Space tourism is a long-term goal and companies are working tirelessly towards it. Some are building areas where tourists can stay, while others focus on developing the reusable launch vehicles that will enable their flight.
Space tourism trips will likely begin with short stays on the International Space Station (ISS), possibly for as few as one or two days at most. Historically, however, this space station has hosted numerous tourists in its history – Dennis Tito was the world’s first fee-paying space tourist in 2001 followed by South African computer millionaire Mark Shuttleworth and American software architect Charles Simonyi as well as Anousheh Ansari who became first female space tourist and fourth overall by 2006.
Space companies are working towards developing long-term accommodation systems in space that could accommodate several people for several weeks or months at a time (I hope they will have internet as well there so, in space, we can enjoy a game of online poker on any of the sites mentioned over https://centiment.io). Orbital Assembly recently unveiled designs of such accommodations, which they’ve dubbed Space Hotel after their original Von Braun Station name was chosen – after Wernher von Braun who pioneered rocket technology – who led to this design being unveiled. Space Hotel designs would offer travelers all of the amenities offered at regular hotels – running water, restaurant services, etc.
Initial facilities will likely feature cylindrical modules, as they are the easiest and cheapest way to construct. They will include private guest rooms, lounges, and areas where guests can experience zero gravity. Staff will include professional astronauts as well as company representatives; their duties will include providing training for new visitors.
Though some may view space tourism as frivolous spending, its growth has been significant. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson has offered commercial flights into suborbital space via Virgin Galactic; Blue Origin founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos plans similar adventures using traditional vertical takeoff rockets.
Although regular passenger space flights might take decades to commence, there are some promising companies with real prospects of getting them underway, including Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Space Activities
Space tourism remains something of a science fiction dream for most, yet interest in space tourism has surged recently, and several companies are actively working on making it reality. While space travel remains expensive, technology continues to improve and prices should reduce over time making space tourism more attainable to everyday citizens.
One of the greatest obstacles of space travel is power generation. At present, there are three main methods for powering spacecraft: solar cells, nuclear reactors and fuel cells. Each method has its own set of advantages and disadvantages; solar cells require large areas of space which makes them unsuitable as tourist vehicles; nuclear reactors can produce significant amounts of energy but tend to be heavy and inefficient; fuel cells offer lightweight efficiency with their superior lightweight construction.
Space travel can be prohibitively expensive, only accessible to wealthy individuals. Those able to afford it often describe it as life changing; many become involved with environmental and social causes upon returning home from space travel. Critics believe it unfair for billionaires to use their fortunes on space flights when there are so many pressing needs on Earth.
Space travel also poses environmental impacts that must be considered. Launch and reentry rockets emit black carbon into the stratosphere during launch and reentry, contributing to its depletion. While alternative fuels might help alleviate this issue, using them has yet to become practical or applicable for space tourism purposes. There are no rules prohibiting them from visiting certain places – leaving tourists open to potentially unexpected encounters!
As space travel becomes a growing industry, it will be intriguing to watch how governments and private entities respond. Regulations may be put in place similar to how air travel is managed here on Earth; and it would also be great to discover any tourist spots such as hotels in space.
Space Tourism Market
Space tourism companies typically portray spaceflight as an exciting, glamorous, and glamorous experience; however, what their marketing does not disclose are significant risks involved with spaceflight – including potential risks of death or serious injury. Since this industry is relatively new, no regulatory framework has yet been set. There may be areas of space off limits to tourists; who makes such rules? Furthermore, logistical hurdles must also be surmounted; including creating a safe environment for tourists, providing preflight training experience sessions, landing operations planning services and recovery processes.
At present, 13 commercial spaceflights have taken place and the market for these services is expanding quickly. Most flights have been suborbital with Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin commanding most market shares for these suborbital services; however, orbital flights may see greater growth due to demand from private astronaut missions to the International Space Station as well as customer interest in traveling within low earth orbit for recreational or business travel.
At present, space tourism’s serviceable addressable market consists of approximately 7,800 customers with sufficient financial means to pay for an experience into space. Unfortunately, due to differences in characteristics among Early Adopters and Early Majority customers, it’s impossible to accurately forecast this figure over time. What attracts one group may not appeal to the other.
Space tourism market competition is fierce, with several players dominating and seizing significant market shares. This can be attributed to technological advances for spacecraft and hotels as well as rising interest from high-net-worth individuals in space travel. Some key players include Virgin Galactic, Orion Span Hotel, SpaceX Blue Origin Axiom Space Zero 2 Infinity S. L Boeing Company.