Have we reached an era of space tourism?

Commercial space flight no longer seems like a far-fetched dream from a sci-fi film, thanks to rapid advancements in aerospace technology. Commercial space activity has more than tripled, reaching $357bn in 2020. Have we reached an era of commercial space travel?

A brief history of private space companies

After years of R&D and trial and error, the dream of commercial spaceflight finally took off in 2021. Prior to this however, private passengers have travelled to space onboard NASA shuttles and Russian Soyuz spacecrafts.

On the 11^th July, 2021, Richard Branson and three crew members launched Virgin Galactic’s passenger rocket, VSS Unity, and blasted towards the edge of space at an altitude of 54 miles above Earth. The crew stayed there for four minutes before descending back to Earth.

On the 20^th July, Jeff Bezos and three others flew to an altitude of 63 miles aboard the New Shepard, a suborbital rocket system built by Bezos’ company, Blue Origin.

In September, SpaceX launched its all-civilian Inspiration4 mission aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft. It reached an orbit just above the International Space Station’s, flying for three days before the capsule safely splashed down off the coast of Florida.

So many people have been launched into space, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ended its Commercial Space Astronaut Wings programme at the beginning of 2022, originally designed to promote the industry. The programme was created in 2004, and the decision came as the FAA expects the commercial human spaceflight industry to continue to grow and the number of people launching to space to increase drastically in the years to come.

On the 8^th April 2022, Axiom Space launched four civilians to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Axiom Space has arranged with NASA to spend eight days aboard the ISS, assisting with scientific experiments. This aligns with Axiom’s plans to build the first commercial space station.

Axiom has already signed contracts to develop modules to attach to the ISS, which will eventually detach and become their own space station.

Questioning the purpose of space tourism

Some have questioned the purpose of space tourism, especially in a time of climate crisis, a pandemic and increasing inequality. Many ask the question, what are these commercial flights achieving, other than dominating television coverage?

You no longer have to be a highly trained astronaut. Passengers can fly to space for the spectacular view, or for the thrill.

Tickets to the edge of space currently cost six figures, whilst embarking on an orbital mission costs up to eight figures. However, comparing the commercial space flight industry to the aviation industry, these space flights will begin as luxuries, but prices will drop, opening the space tourism market beyond the ultra-rich in the distant future.

Where next?

Commercialising space travel invites competition, presenting opportunities for funding and sparking innovation from the private sector.

In the short term, it is expected that space tourism will continue to grow in popularity. The space tourism market is expected to be worth at least $3bn by 2030. Companies like SpaceX will continue to test reusable rockets technology to make spaceflight more affordable and accessible.

Blue Origin and Sierra Space are developing a commercial space station, Orbital Reef, to be built in low Earth orbit. The hope is to open the next chapter of human space exploration and development, giving anyone the opportunity to establish their own address on orbit. the project has been selected by NASA for a funded Space Act Agreement.

With more companies consider space tourism, orbital holidays are set to become a popular trend. 

The future of commercial space travel looks promising thanks to key players in the industry and huge investors. Private companies have made considerable progress towards commercialising space. Space tourism however will become a small subsector of the industry, propelling further innovation. When space tourism becomes mainstream, it will positively impact socioeconomic factors on Earth, including creating jobs, and facilitating education about space.