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Space tourism: a plaything for the wealthy or the next adventure frontier?

Opinion
earth from space

By Lance HartScreamscape   

For decades, people have dreamed about what it might be like to journey into outer space. I know I did – as a small child when an adult asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, Iā€™d proudly state that I wanted to be an astronaut. I had no idea of how to achieve that goal back then, but it sure sounded like the kind of thing I wanted to do when I got older. 

Obviously, that dream never worked out for me, as various obstacles kept getting in my way. For example, most of the early US astronauts were also Air Force pilots. However, a little issue of having less than perfect eyesight immediately ruled that out as a career choice. And so, grudgingly, I moved on. 

space perspective space tourism capsule

Since then, Iā€™ve grown up, got married, and had children. I live a very different life from what I may have dreamed about as a child. I had no choice really – after all, bills have to be paid. Yet, throughout it all, deep in my heart the dream is still there. To this day I still canā€™t help but wonder what it would be like to fly to the stars. 

For most of my life, this was nothing more than a daydream. Today, however, with the right amount of cash and connections, one can buy passage aboard a few different vehicle options available within the space tourism market. 

Space tourism evolves

The recent Axium Space Ax-1 Mission was the first entirely privately funded mission to visit space and the ISS (International Space Station).

Earlier this month, four civilians climbed into the SpaceX Dragon capsule. They were launched into space via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, where they then docked at the ISS. While the Commander of the mission was a former NASA astronaut who now works for Axiom Space, the other three members of the crew paid an estimated $55 million each to go along for the ride to the ISS.

On 25 April 2022, the crew returned back to Earth, completing their journey. The long term goal for Axiom Space is to create and launch its own floating space station (Axiom Station). This will be used as a lab for experiments, as well as playing host to future space tourists. 

Space X Falcon 9_Expo 2020 Dubai_USA Pavilion
A full-size replica of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was on display at the USA Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai

Axiom isnā€™t the only one in the game of course. They are hitching a ride to space via Elon Muskā€™s SpaceX company, which has launched a number of missions to space, both crewed and unmanned, over the past couple of years.  

Amazonā€™s founder and former CEO, Jeff Bezos, left Amazon in 2021 to focus on his latest endeavour, Blue Origin. This has launched several mission crews to the edge of space and back over the last year.

Bezos himself was aboard the very first mission last July. Since then he has sent a number of personalities up to space on the following two missions. This famously included Star Trekā€™s William Shatner

Not just a billionaire’s playground?

Meanwhile, billionaire Richard Branson was not to be left on the ground. He founded his own space tourism company called (what else?) Virgin Galactic. Branson and a small crew also successfully undertook their own first test flight to the edge of space last July.

In an interesting twist, Virgin Galactic is not just promoting future flights as just a quick trip to the edge of space. Instead, the company is promoting the entire thing as the ultimate ā€œexperience of a lifetime”. 

virgin galactic
Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic has created the Spaceport America complex on Earth to prepare guests in every way, for not only the journey but as a way for these individuals to fulfil their biggest dreams. To handle this side of things, Virgin Galactic hired former Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde to serve as an ā€œexperience architectā€. In this role, Rohde will help to ā€œcreate a memorable and transformative experienceā€ for Virgin Galacticā€™s future astronauts and guests.Ā 

In other words, Rohde has been brought on board to help flesh out the entire experience, so that these guests can live out their dream of spaceflight to the fullest.Ā 

This particular bit of hiring by Virgin Galactic is interesting. It is a sign that the idea of space tourism is moving past just being something of a status competition between billionaires, and into something more about the purity of enjoying the entire ā€œexperienceā€, rather than just the actual ride. The idea is to help create a memory that will truly last a lifetime for each Virgin Galactic traveller. 

Old vs. new space tourism

The first space tourists were almost all millionaires or billionaires. They paid a company by the name of Space Adventures roughly $20-35 million for a chance to hitch a ride on a Russian rocket to the ISS and back.

This took place from 2001 to 2010. Then, the Russian Space Program called off the practice because it needed to use the available rocket seats to send more scientists to the ISS instead, following the demise of the American Space Shuttle program in 2011. The first to experience this space tourism initiative was billionaire Dennis Tito in 2001. One of the more interesting customers was video game creator Richard Garriott (aka Lord British).  

Those taking planned trips to space now are something of a mix of old-style astronauts and scientists, alongside the wealthy and the occasional celebrity. While the mix hasnā€™t shifted much, it is shifting. Also, the price for the experience is said to be coming down.

space perspective space tourism lounge

For example, another company called Space Perspective is now promoting a program where it will send riders up to the edge of space in a plush capsule outfitted with floor to ceiling window panels. This will be attached and lifted by a giant balloon, rather than something as potentially explosive as a rocket ship.

The passengers will enjoy a meal and a few drinks along the six-hour journey. There will be plenty of time to take in the fantastic views before the capsule begins the long descent back down to earth. Here, it will splashdown in the ocean and be recovered by a ship. The cost for a seat with Space Perspective is said to be $125,000.

The company has reportedly already secured deposits for 475 advanced reservations. And this is for an experience that isnā€™t expected to begin service until 2025!

The eternal fascination with space

The idea of space tourism isnā€™t new. Countless endeavours have been announced over the years, only to never materialize.

However, the key difference today is that commercial and privately funded trips to space are now happening on a regular basis. The dream of space flight is no longer restricted to the realm of government funding and control. So with competition in the air (and space), I think we will continue to see the concept expand. This means that, ever slowly, we will see the price of the experience continue to fall. 

The dream has been kept alive for years through concepts like Space Camp trips for kids, and touring attractions such as the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Bridge
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

And, if a pure science experience isnā€™t your thing, there have always been ways to enjoy the concept via an assortment of science fiction based experiences, ranging from the retired Star Trek: The Experience attraction in Las Vegas to countless theme park attractions (there is a reason Space Mountain always has long lines), the most recent example being the newly opened Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience in Walt Disney World. 

Even now future dreams are still being planned for more way-out experiences. Would you want to sleep in a space hotel in orbit? Who is ready to take a flight around the moon? Or better yet, land on the moon and experience what it is like to walk on the surface of another world? Whoā€™s ready to move to the planet Mars?

The galaxy awaits!

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Lance Hart

Lance Hart

Lance has been running Screamscape for nearly 20 years. Married and a father to three roller coaster loving kids, he worked for SeaWorld (San Diego and Orlando) in Operations and Entertainment for 19 years.

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