Another niche of the aviation industry is space tourism. It aims to provide visitors with the opportunity to become astronauts and fly to space for recreational, leisure, or business purposes. Almost every aspect of current space tourism and vehicle production is focused on extensions of current rocket launch vehicles and rocket plane development. Space tourism is incredibly expensive; only a small portion of the population can pay for a space experience. View of Earth from space, weightlessness, high-speed, extraordinary experience and scientific contribution are some of the primary motivations behind space tourism.
Deflower your Virgin Galactic Thoughts for Space Tourism
On May 22, 2021, Virgin Galactic completed its first spaceflight. VSS Unity, the company’s spacecraft, was brought to a height of around 44,000 feet. The spacecraft was then launched, firing its rocket engine and speeding up to more than three times the speed of sound. Unity returned to the atmosphere after performing a slow backflip, reaching an altitude of 89.2 kilometers, or around 293,000 feet. Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic, was present at the spaceport to witness the flight.
Sir Richard Branson will Test Drive the Third
The spacecraft Unity can accommodate up to six passengers and two pilots. Around 600 tickets for future flights have been reserved by the airline, with prices ranging from $200,000 to $250,000 each. The company must meet two more Federal Aviation Administration milestones to obtain a necessary license to perform routine spaceflights. The second spaceflight test will take four passengers to evaluate the spacecraft’s interior, while the third test will transport Sir Richard Branson, the company’s founder.
Civilian Crew Members Invited dearMoon Project 2023
Several organizations are attempting to scale their technologies to make space journalism a reality. Consider Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which is currently accepting bids for a seat on its July 2021 New Shepard flight (current high bid: $2.8 million). Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa have announced the new “dearMoon project,” which will fly eight civilians to participate in a week-long Starship mission around the moon in 2023.
Research Assures No Muscle Atrophy during Space Tourism
The research community has put a lot of effort into figuring out what happens to the human body during space travel. A new paper in Nature explains a study conducted to see how muscle mass and strength are influenced during spaceflight. The key findings showed that the AG onboard environment prevented changes in the soleus muscle under microgravity, including changes in muscle mass and fiber type composition and changes in gene expression profiles. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the AG condition could protect certain atrophy-related genes from mutations.
Commercial Spaceflight Industry – An Expensive Affair
It’s fascinating to think of a space tourism industry. It claims to be a less difficult route to space than the one taken by astronauts. The development of a commercial spaceflight industry could increase access to space and make it more democratic. But this is only partially true; what was once the exclusive realm of the world’s wealthiest nations is now dominated by commercial organizations.
The First Civilian Space Voyage
American businessman Dennis Tito was the first civilian who took the Russian Soyuz rocket for a six-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS). He safely landed in Kazakhstan on May 6, 2001. that would take him to the in 2001. Tito wasn’t any young chap to have such ambition but a 60-year old. To stop Tito from his space mission, NASA and other space agencies from Canada, Europe, and Japan tried their best not to make it happen. He made it nonetheless. He trained his body to make the trip happen.
Since then, two decades later, the Axiom crew is ready for another ISS voyage slated for 2022 on a SpaceX Dragon flight. The three rich white male passengers will be paying a total of US$55 million for the spaceflight. Space travel will only ever be available to the very rich. Larry Connor, a real estate and tech entrepreneur from the US, Mark Pathy, a Canadian financier, and Eytan Stibbe, an Israeli businessman.
Space Tourism: The Commerce
The travel and tourism industry is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic today. However, many experts predict a strong recovery. Due to the resurgence in space travel, experts are anticipating a need for room accommodations in space. According to in-depth analysis, between 2020 and 2025, the global Space Tourism market will expand at a CAGR of 15.6 percent, reaching USD 1383.3 million by 2025.
Flight to Fancy: The Suborbital Spaceflight
The aviation industry is changing quickly, with more people being involved in space travel. The decline in the cost of space tourism can be expected as technological advances, such as an emphasis on rocket reusability, are likely to impact the industry. The bulk of revenue is expected to come from commercial suborbital spaceflight services. This is largely due to the lower costs of suborbital space travel relative to orbital space travel. Due to the lack of affordability, growth for orbital tourism is expected to be minimal.
Top 5 Space Exploration Startups
XCOR Aerospace
XCOR plans to send visitors to the edge of space after developing the Lynx spacecraft from the ground up. Prospective astronauts would take off horizontally one at a time, hitting Mach 2.9 in about 3 minutes. All of this will culminate in a 6-minute weightlessness experience at the height of 103 kilometers.
Stratolaunch Systems
Founded by Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen, it takes a unique approach to leisure space travel. One that will drastically reduce costs and make space exploration accessible to the general public. Paul Allen envisions a commercial spacecraft carried into the atmosphere by the widest plane ever created, rather than the dull, archaic ‘blasting off a launchpad’ style approach to rocket launches.
Zero-G Corporation
A modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft, operated by Zero-G Company, allows passengers to experience various types of microgravity. ZeroG uses parabolic flight to simulate weightlessness for about 20 seconds, which isn’t quite as luxurious as other space travel for leisure companies mentioned.
Space Adventures
Space Adventures uses similar technology as Virgin Galactic. It offers suborbital trips, visits to space stations, and the ability to circumnavigate the moon. Space Adventures, the business behind a host of journeys to the International Space Station(ISS), is no stranger to recreational space travel. All of this for half the price of Virgin Galactic’s bid. Seats start at around $102,000 each.
Voyager Station
The Voyager Space Station is the first commercial space hotel slated for launch in 2027 as the construction initiates in 2026. Visitors to the Voyager Space Station will have artificial gravity using centrifugal force. The space station will be on a spin to simulate gravity in its pods can accommodate up to 280 guests. Other amenities include a gym, bar, gourmet restaurant, and an entertainment center. You can book now or invest in the project.
Space Tourism: Final Words
Ultimately, the advancement of technology is critical to bringing more visitors to space, and a few key trends will shape the future of space tourism and our progress on and off our home planet. When space tourism becomes common, it will positively affect many social and economic factors on Earth, such as job creation, citizen education about space, and new solar-based energy infrastructure development. The pleasant journey to the galaxies has the power to awaken us to the extraordinary potential of space exploration while also improving our appreciation of home.
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