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Everything You Need to Know About Space Tourism Right Now

Your next travel splurge could be a flight to space

Virgin Galactic vehicle SpaceShipTwo on its first glide flight on October 10, 2010 over Mojave in California. (Virgin Galactic / Getty Images)

While 2020 has been an abysmal year on many counts, there’s one industry that’s thriving: space exploration. Within the first eight months of the year, we’ve seen the successful launches of three Mars missions, promising tests of new rockets, and the return of crewed spaceflight to U.S. soil—aboard a privately built spacecraft, no less! But we’re also getting much closer to the launch of the space tourism industry, meaning your dream of becoming an astronaut could become reality quite soon. We’re still a little ways away from regular flights into space for paying customers, but here are all the developments you need to know about.

The History of Space Tourism

Traveling to space has long been the domain of professional astronauts, not ordinary citizens. But that all changed when American entrepreneur Dennis Tito flew to space in 2001 with space tourism company Space Adventures, who organized the trip with Russian space agency Roscosmos. Tito was the first of only seven true “space tourists,” each of whom traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) via Roscosmos's Soyuz spacecraft for about a weeklong stay—or for two separate weeklong stays, in the case of one space traveler—for a reported cost between $20 million to $35 million per trip (plus months of training). The final space tourism excursion was made by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté in 2009, after which Roscosmos had to end touristic flights: when NASA retired its space shuttle program in 2011, each seat on its Soyuz spacecraft needed to be reserved for crews heading to the ISS, not tourists. Since then, space tourism has been halted.

Nearly There: Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic

The issue with Space Adventure’s program is that it relies on other operators for transportation, which limits its access to space. But the next wave of private spaceflight companies have been developing their own vehicles to propel clients into weightlessness. The two frontrunners in the space tourism race are Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, both of which are in advanced testing phases—Virgin Galactic has even opened ticket sales already, with more than 600 passengers booked. While both aerospace companies will provide their clients with suborbital trips into space, they’ll do so in entirely different fashions.

Blue Origin

Blue Origin plans to send tourists to space in its New Shepard vehicle, named after the first American in space, Alan Shepard, from its launch site in West Texas. New Shepard, which is an entirely autonomous craft that doesn’t need a human pilot, is similar to Roscosmos’s Soyuz and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon vehicles in that its six passengers will be housed in a capsule and vertically launched into space via a rocket.

After a day of training, passengers will get to experience a launch just as professional astronauts do: they’ll feel the intense G-forces pressing down on them as the rocket shuttles them to an altitude of approximately 62 miles, which is widely accepted as the boundary of space. When the engines cut off, passengers will be weightless, and they’re free to float about the capsule, taking in the views of the planet and of the darkness of space through the capsule’s large windows. After a few minutes, the capsule will fall back to Earth under parachutes. All in, the trip lasts just 11 minutes—it’s a pretty short flight considering tickets will likely cost about $250,000. 

Blue Origin has successfully launched New Shepard on 12 un-crewed test flights since 2015, but it’ll need to get humans up into space before it’ll be certified to start carrying paying customers. The company originally hoped to launch a crewed test flight in 2019; however, it still has not done so, nor has it announced a new timeline for the test.

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic, on the other hand, will fly passengers to space aboard a winged vehicle called SpaceShipTwo , which bears similarities to NASA’s space shuttle. But whereas the shuttle launched vertically via a rocket, SpaceShipTwo is launched horizontally. The vehicle, which seats six passengers plus two pilots, takes off from a runway like a regular plane via its carrier aircraft called WhiteKnightTwo. Virgin Galactic currently launches from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, but it will also launch from Spaceport America in New Mexico.

After takeoff, WhiteKnightTwo ascends to 50,000 feet, after which SpaceShipTwo is released, and its rocket-powered engines kick in to bring it all the way to a maximum altitude of roughly 68 miles. As with Blue Origin’s New Shepard, passengers will enjoy a few minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth, but instead of a parachute landing, SpaceShipTwo will land on a runway like a plane—which is also how the space shuttle landed. Total run time: between two and three hours in flight, plus two-and-a-half days of training, with a price tag of $250,000.

Virgin Galactic has been conducting test flights since 2010, but progress has been a bit slow—and deadly. In 2014, a test pilot was killed after a SpaceShipTwo vehicle broke apart during a flight, primarily due to pilot error. Testing resumed in 2016 and is ongoing, with no official word on when commercial operations will begin.

Other Companies Dreaming Big

Of all the space tourism operations out there, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are by far the closest to launching passengers. (Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has already successfully launched NASA astronauts into space, is not focusing on tourism, though it will provide lifts for third-party companies.) But coming in hot on their heels is Boeing, whose Starliner vehicle is being developed for NASA's Commercial Crew Program; its contract, however, allows for tourists to potentially join flights. 

The other viable space tourism companies on the horizon are not developing their own vehicles, rather, they plan on hitching rides with other providers. Space Adventures is still in the game, having entered a partnership with SpaceX to fly passengers on Crew Dragon as soon as next year. It’s also revived its tourism operations with Roscosmos: two tourists are booked on a trip to the ISS in 2023. Another company, Axiom Space, plans on taking passengers to the ISS via SpaceX’s Crew Dragon as soon as 2021, before launching its own private space station by the end of the decade. Similarly, Orion Span has announced its intentions to launch its Aurora Space Station in 2021, though construction on the project has yet to begin.

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Todo lo que necesitas saber para poder hacer turismo espacial

Foto por Niketh Vellanki en Unsplash

La primera misión con civiles , Inspiration4 de SpaceX, y el vuelo de Jeff Bezos, su hermano y una tercera persona aún desconocida con Blue Origin abren las puertas al turismo espacial . Ya sabíamos que la carrera espacial privada estaba muy avanzada, en parte gracias a las ayudas de la NASA para privatizar el sector de los vuelos espaciales. Pero ahora ya prácticamente podemos olerlo. Aunque los billetes al espacio todavía son caros para el común de los mortales. Sin embargo, soñar es gratis y pensar en qué necesitaríamos para poder ser turistas espaciales, también . ¿Cualquiera puede ir al espacio? ¿Cuál es el entrenamiento necesario para ir al espacio? Y sobre todo, ¿cuánto cuesta sentir la ingravidez?

Todavía no hay un criterio único para responder a todas estas preguntas . No obstante, como la curiosidad es intrínseca al ser humano intentaremos dar una respuesta a cada una de ellas. Aunque hay que tener en cuenta que todo esto podría cambiar en el futuro; cuando los viajes al espacio se democraticen y el turismo espacial sea algo más asequible.

¿Cualquiera puede ir al espacio?

Para saber quién puede ir al espacio nos fijaremos en las dos convocatorias de las que hemos hablado: la de SpaceX y la de Blue Origin. Porque sí, a pesar de ser a raíz de dos subastas , las condiciones físicas y psicológicas de los participantes hay que tenerlas muy en cuenta .

Para empezar, tal y como señala Washington Post , en la convocatoria de Blue Origin se pide a los participantes varias cosas. Primero, que sean capaces de soportar la fuerza de la gravedad en el lanzamiento y en el descenso . Para ello, calculan que en el ascenso son unas tres veces la fuerza de la gravedad en dos minutos. Por el contrario, para el aterrizaje, que dura apenas unos segundos, son unas cinco veces la fuerza de la gravedad. Y para eso hay que estar preparado , no todo el mundo puede aguantarlo. Lo segundo que piden es que, a nivel físico, tienen que ser personas que midan entre 150 y 180 centímetros y pesen entre 49,8 y 101,1 kilos. Con esas dos medidas, buena parte de la sociedad ya puede ir al espacio.

Por su parte, desde SpaceX pidieron para Inspiration4 personas que midieran menos de 198 centímetros y pesaran menos de 113 kilos. Estas medidas son más amplias que las de Blue Origin, por lo que más personas podrían acceder al espacio. Además, también pedían que los participantes fueran "aptos" tanto física como psicológicamente para poder entrenar . Esto se debe a que los entrenamientos para este tipo de misiones suelen ser duros y descartaría a algunos posibles participantes. No obstante, Elon Musk, el dueño de SpaceX, también comentó que "si puedes subirte a una montaña rusa intensa, deberías estar bien para volar en la Dragon". Por tanto, que el entrenamiento no te eche para atrás tampoco si estás decidido a ir al espacio en el futuro.

Diferentes tipos de vuelos espaciales

La misión Inspiration4 de SpaceX es de varios días y la tripulación ha sido elegida para poder hacer frente a los retos de estar en el espacio

No obstante, estos vuelos de Blue Origin y SpaceX son muy distintos . Mientras que la empresa fundada por el CEO de Amazon es un viaje al borde del espacio de entre diez y treinta minutos; el viaje con SpaceX es un viaje de varios días en los que la tripulación tiene que estar preparada para cualquier cosa. En el caso de Blue Origin, lo más probable es que vuelen al espacio con pilotos preparados para ello y los turistas espaciales tan solo se dediquen a observar la Tierra y disfrutar de la ingravidez .

Estas no son las únicas compañías que enviarán astronautas al espacio. La tercera es Virgin Galactic , pero por el momento no ha publicado los requisitos para sus vuelos con turistas espaciales. Sí se compromete a entrenar a todos los que quieran volar y convertirlos en astronautas aptos para salir al espacio. " Prepararemos a cada astronauta a fondo , mediante un programa de revisiones médicas y entrenamiento a medida", explican. Por otra parte, sus vuelos son mucho más parecidos a los de Blue Origin que a los de SpaceX, al menos por el momento.

El entrenamiento para los turistas espaciales

Desde Blue Origin explican que sí será necesario un entrenamiento . Pero es tan básico que apenas dura un día. Lo tienen preparado para que el día de antes los turistas espaciales puedan saber todo lo que necesitan sobre el vuelo y cómo disfrutar al máximo de su experiencia. Se parecerá más a las instrucciones que nos dan justo antes de empezar un vuelo comercial que a los entrenamientos de años que reciben los astronautas de la Agencia Espacial Europea (ESA, por sus siglas en inglés), la NASA o cualquier otra agencia dedicada al espacio.

En el caso de Virgin Galactic, señalan desde Washington Post , el entrenamiento sí será un poco más exhaustivo y durará tres días . Esto se debe a que los turistas espaciales tendrán que pasar por un chequeo médico completo y una preparación totalmente personalizada. El entrenamiento tendrá mucho más que ver con cómo funciona la nave, las comunicaciones o cómo disfrutar de la ingravidez, que con un entrenamiento físico. Sí que es cierto que tendrán que preparar a los turistas espaciales para soportar la fuerza de la gravedad en el lanzamiento y descenso; pero si el control médico es positivo, lo más probable es que sea fácil superar estas pruebas físicas.

En definitiva, habrá que pasar por algún tipo de entrenamiento para poder ir al espacio aunque sea como turistas espaciales. Pero no debería de ser muy difícil superarlo si nos encontramos dentro de los rangos físicos señalados por las empresas. Por otra parte, a nivel psicológico es probable que también estemos preparados. Y es que el turismo espacial es probablemente mucho más ameno y menos estresante que el trabajo que desempeñan los astronautas de la NASA o la ESA.

Turismo espacial: este es el precio

El precio dependerá de la experiencia que queramos. Una cosa es un vuelo suborbital en el que, aunque se experimenta la ingravidez, en realidad nos quedamos al borde de salir al espacio. Es decir, subimos lo suficiente para ver la curvatura de la Tierra y para flotar durante unos minutos . Estos vuelos son los que actualmente ofrecen Virgin Galactic y Blue Origin.

Virgin Galactic cobra unos 250.000 dólares por estos vuelos suborbitales . En el caso de Blue Origin todavía no sabemos cuál será el precio; ya que el asiento junto a Jeff Bezos se está subastando hasta este sábado, 12 de junio. No obstante, las pujas están altas. En el momento de la publicación de este artículo rondaba los 3,8 millones de dólares . Además, la parte final de la subasta se hará en directo, por lo que seguramente todavía suba más . Pero no hay que tener miedo: seguro que el precio final del asiento nada tiene que ver con el de los próximos vuelos. Probablemente bajen .

SpaceX tampoco ha publicado sus precios por el momento; pero en cuanto vayan saliendo misiones similares a la de Inspiration4, iremos conociendo los rangos de precio que manejan.

Visitar la Estación Espacial Internacional

Por último, hay que tener en cuenta que no es lo mismo ser turista espacial por una hora o ir a la Estación Espacial Internacional (EEI) durante días o semanas . De hecho, esto ya ha sucedido. Es decir, el turismo espacial ya hace tiempo que se produce. No obstante, no ha estado al alcance de todo el mundo : un viaje de una semana encargado por Axiom Space cuesta 55 millones de dólares por persona, indica Washington Post . Claro que ahí hay varios conceptos dentro: desde el lugar en el que duermes hasta el transporte hasta la EEI, pasando por la comida durante ese tiempo. Es como ir a un hotel, pero en el espacio . Por lo que es más caro. Por lo menos de momento.

En definitiva, sí, viajar al espacio cada vez está más cerca. No todo el mundo podrá pasar un mes en un hotel que flote alrededor de la Tierra, pero quizás sí ver la curvatura de nuestro planeta y sentir en sus propias carnes cómo es la ingravidez. Pero antes tienen que bajar los precios para que los que quieran hacer turismo espacial y no manejan miles o millones de dólares puedan siquiera soñar con rozar el espacio. Está cerca, pero no es asequible a todos los bolsillo . Por ahora.

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También en Hipertextual:

Want to be a space tourist? Here are 6 things to consider first

The industry of space tourism could exist in the future. Image:  Unsplash/NASA

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• In July 2021, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos went up into space, accompanied by fellow passengers.
• These trips created vast amounts of media coverage and brand recognition for Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Bezos’ Blue Origin.
• This could indicate that a commercial space tourism industry is on the horizon.
• Before space trips become commercially available, important factors such as environmental and safety laws need to be considered.

It’s been a momentous month for space-faring billionaires. On July 11, British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s Unity “rocket-plane” flew him and five fellow passengers about 85 kilometres above Earth. And this week, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ New Shepard capsule reached an altitude of 106km , carrying Bezos, his brother, and the oldest and youngest people ever to reach such a height. Passengers on both flights experienced several minutes of weightlessness and took in breathtaking views of our beautiful and fragile Earth.

Both flights created an avalanche of media coverage and brand recognition for Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Bezos’s Blue Origin. There is renewed anticipation of a lucrative commercial space tourism industry that could eventually see thousands of paying passengers journey into space (or not quite into space, depending on your preferred level of pedantry).

This year marks 60 years since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Since then, almost 600 trained astronauts have gone into outer space, but very few people have become space tourists.

The first, US engineer Dennis Tito, paid a reported US$20 million to spend six days orbiting Earth in the Russian section of the International Space Station in April 2001, after three months’ training at Russia’s Star City complex. He was followed by a handful of other very wealthy “orbital tourists”, most recently Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberté in 2009, whose ticket reportedly cost US$35 million.

Unlike their predecessors, Branson’s and Bezos’ flights were suborbital – they didn’t reach the velocity needed to orbit Earth. Bezos’s entire flight lasted just over 10 minutes. Suborbital flights are much less technically complex, and in theory cheaper (although one seat on the New Shepard flight was auctioned for US$28 million ).

While they might quibble over billionaire bragging rights, there’s no denying that suborbital “space” flights have the potential to be less eye-wateringly expensive than going into orbital outer space and beyond.

But before you sign up – assuming you’re lucky enough to afford it – here are a few things to consider.

Where does space start, anyway?

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Despite assertions to the contrary , there is no legal definition of “outer space”, and thus no official boundary where airspace ends and outer space begins. In the past, the International Aeronautical Federation has looked to the von Karman line , but this does not coincide with the boundary of any of the atmosphere’s scientifically defined layers, and the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space , which deals with such issues, has not yet resolved the question.

Conveniently for Branson, 80km has been proposed by some experts as an appropriate boundary.

Outer space is undeniably influenced by Earthly geopolitics. Essentially, the larger space-faring countries see no need to legally define a boundary that would clearly demarcate the upper limits of their sovereignty.

Will you be an ‘astronaut’?

The 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty designates astronauts as “envoys of (hu)mankind in outer space”. Certainly, that seemed to be the case as the world watched the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing and prayed for a safe return of the stricken Apollo 13 capsule. However, the 1968 UN Rescue Agreement refers to “personnel of a spacecraft”, which may imply not everyone on board should be considered a fully fledged astronaut.

Of course, these legal niceties won’t deter space tourism companies from awarding “astronaut wings” to their passengers.

What laws apply when things go wrong?

The 1986 Challenger and 2003 Columbia shuttle disasters are stark reminders of the dangers of space travel. Human space travel has always involved determining acceptable levels of risk for trained astronauts. But commercial space tourism is different to state-sponsored space programs, and will need the highest possible safety standards.

Commercial space travel will also require a system of responsibility and liability, for cases in which a space tourist suffers injury, loss or damage.

Space tourists (or their families) can’t claim for compensation under the 1972 UN Liability Convention which, in terms of space, applies only to collisions between space objects such as satellites and space debris. While there may be scope to take legal action under national laws, it is likely space tourists will be asked to sign carefully worded waivers of liability.

The same is probably true of international air law , which applies to “aircraft” — a designation space tourism operators will understandably be keen to avoid.

Ultimately, we may need to develop a system of “aerospace law” to govern these suborbital flights as well as “transorbital” transport such as the keenly envisaged flights that might one day take passengers from Sydney to London in just a few hours.

What activities should be allowed in space?

The advent of space tourism will give rise to some interesting ethical questions. Should there be advertising billboards in space? What about casinos, or brothels? On what legal basis should these things be restricted?

How does tourism fit with the underlying philosophy of space law: that the exploration and use of outer space “shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries”?

Will space tourism harm the environment?

Space tourism will inevitably put pressure on Earth’s environment – there are claims that space vehicles may one day become the world’s biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions. We will need to manage space traffic carefully to avoid disastrous collisions and steer clear of space debris .

If tourists go to the Moon, they may cause pollution or damage the heritage of earlier exploration, such as Neil Armstrong’s footprints .

Will tourism workers have to live in space?

If space tourism does become truly widespread, it will need infrastructure and perhaps even staff. People may end up living permanently in space settlements, perhaps having children who will be born as “space citizens”. What legal rights would someone have if they were born at a Moon base? Would they be subject to terrestrial laws, or some version of current international legal rules for outer space?

The World Economic Forum was the first to draw the world’s attention to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the current period of unprecedented change driven by rapid technological advances. Policies, norms and regulations have not been able to keep up with the pace of innovation, creating a growing need to fill this gap.

The Forum established the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network in 2017 to ensure that new and emerging technologies will help—not harm—humanity in the future. Headquartered in San Francisco, the network launched centres in China, India and Japan in 2018 and is rapidly establishing locally-run Affiliate Centres in many countries around the world.

The global network is working closely with partners from government, business, academia and civil society to co-design and pilot agile frameworks for governing new and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) , autonomous vehicles , blockchain , data policy , digital trade , drones , internet of things (IoT) , precision medicine and environmental innovations .

Learn more about the groundbreaking work that the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network is doing to prepare us for the future.

Want to help us shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Contact us to find out how you can become a member or partner.

These are obviously questions for the future. But given the excitement generated by the brief journeys of a couple of wealthy entrepreneurs, we should start contemplating them now. Outer space is the new frontier, but it is not — and must not — be a lawless one.

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The Future of Space Tourism Is Now. Well, Not Quite.

From zero-pressure balloon trips to astronaut boot camps, reservations for getting off the planet — or pretending to — are skyrocketing. The prices, however, are still out of this world.

By Debra Kamin

Ilida Alvarez has dreamed of traveling to space since she was a child. But Ms. Alvarez, a legal-mediation firm owner, is afraid of flying, and she isn’t a billionaire — two facts that she was sure, until just a few weeks ago, would keep her fantasy as out of reach as the stars. She was wrong.

Ms. Alvarez, 46, and her husband, Rafael Landestoy, recently booked a flight on a 10-person pressurized capsule that — attached to a massive helium-filled balloon — will gently float to 100,000 feet while passengers sip champagne and recline in ergonomic chairs. The reservation required a $500 deposit; the flight itself will cost $50,000 and last six to 12 hours.

“I feel like it was tailor-made for the chickens like me who don’t want to get on a rocket,” said Ms. Alvarez, whose flight, organized by a company called World View , is scheduled to depart from the Grand Canyon in 2024.

Less than a year after Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson kicked off a commercial space race by blasting into the upper atmosphere within weeks of each other last summer, the global space tourism market is skyrocketing, with dozens of companies now offering reservations for everything from zero-pressure balloon trips to astronaut boot camps and simulated zero-gravity flights. But don’t don your spacesuit just yet. While the financial services company UBS estimates the space travel market will be worth $3 billion by 2030, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to approve most out-of-this-world trips, and construction has not started on the first space hotel. And while access and options — not to mention launchpads — are burgeoning, space tourism remains astronomically expensive for most.

First, what counts as space travel?

Sixty miles (about 100 kilometers) above our heads lies the Kármán line, the widely accepted aeronautical boundary of the earth’s atmosphere. It’s the boundary used by the Féderátion Aéronautique Internationale, which certifies and controls global astronautical records. But many organizations in the United States, including the F.A.A. and NASA, define everything above 50 miles to be space.

Much of the attention has been focused on a trio of billionaire-led rocket companies: Mr. Bezos’ Blue Origin , whose passengers have included William Shatner; Mr. Branson’s Virgin Galactic , where tickets for a suborbital spaceflight start at $450,000; and Elon Musk’s SpaceX , which in September launched an all-civilian spaceflight, with no trained astronauts on board. Mr. Branson’s inaugural Virgin Galactic flight in 2021 reached about 53 miles, while Blue Origin flies above the 62-mile mark. Both are eclipsed by SpaceX, whose rockets charge far deeper in to the cosmos, reaching more than 120 miles above Earth.

Balloons, like those operated by World View, don’t go nearly as high. But even at their maximum altitude of 18 or 19 miles, operators say they float high enough to show travelers the curvature of the planet, and give them a chance to experience the overview effect — an intense perspective shift that many astronauts say kicks in when you view Earth from above.

Now, how to get there …

Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, which are both licensed for passenger space travel by the F.A.A., are open for ticket sales. (Blue Origin remains mum on pricing.) Both companies currently have hundreds or even thousands of earthlings on their wait lists for a whirl to the edge of space. SpaceX charges tens of millions of dollars for its further-reaching flights and is building a new facility in Texas that is currently under F.A.A. review.

Craig Curran is a major space enthusiast — he’s held a reserved seat on a Virgin Galactic flight since 2011 — and the owner of Deprez Travel in Rochester, N.Y. The travel agency has a special space travel arm, Galactic Experiences by Deprez , through which Mr. Curran sells everything from rocket launch tickets to astronaut training.

Sales in the space tourism space, Mr. Curran acknowledges, “are reasonably difficult to make,” and mostly come from peer-to-peer networking. “You can imagine that people who spend $450,000 to go to space probably operate in circles that are not the same as yours and mine,” he said.

Some of Mr. Curran’s most popular offerings include flights where you can experience the same stomach-dropping feeling of zero gravity that astronauts feel in space, which he arranges for clients via chartered, specialized Boeing 727s that are flown in parabolic arcs to mimic being in space. Operators including Zero G also offer the service; the cost is around $8,200.

You can almost count the number of completed space tourist launches on one hand — Blue Origin has had four; SpaceX, two. Virgin Galactic, meanwhile, on Thursday announced the launch of its commercial passenger service, previously scheduled for late 2022, was delayed until early 2023. Many of those on waiting lists are biding their time before blastoff by signing up for training. Axiom Space, which contracts with SpaceX, currently offers NASA-partnered training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. Virgin Galactic, which already offers a “customized Future Astronaut Readiness program” at its Spaceport America facility in New Mexico, is also partnering with NASA to build a training program for private astronauts.

Would-be space tourists should not expect the rigor that NASA astronauts face. Training for Virgin Galactic’s three-hour trips is included in the cost of a ticket and lasts a handful of days; it includes pilot briefings and being “fitted for your bespoke Under Armour spacesuit and boots,” according to its website.

Not ready for a rocket? Balloon rides offer a less hair-raising celestial experience.

“We go to space at 12 miles an hour, which means that it’s very smooth and very gentle. You’re not rocketing away from earth,” said Jane Poynter, a co-founder and co-chief executive of Space Perspective , which is readying its own touristic balloon spaceship, Spaceship Neptune. If all goes according to plan, voyages are scheduled to begin departing from Florida in 2024, at a cost of $125,000 per person. That’s a fraction of the price tag for Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, but still more than double the average annual salary of an American worker.

Neither Space Perspective nor World View has the required approval yet from the F.A.A. to operate flights.

Unique implications

Whether a capsule or a rocket is your transport, the travel insurance company battleface launched a civilian space insurance plan in late 2021, a direct response, said chief executive Sasha Gainullin, to an increase in space tourism interest and infrastructure. Benefits include accidental death and permanent disablement in space and are valid for spaceflights on operators like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, as well as on stratospheric balloon rides. They’ve had many inquiries, Mr. Gainullin said, but no purchases just yet.

“Right now it’s such high-net-worth individuals who are traveling to space, so they probably don’t need insurance,” he said. “But for quote-unquote regular travelers, I think we’ll see some takeups soon.”

And as the industry grows, so perhaps will space travel’s impact on the environment. Not only do rocket launches have immense carbon footprints, even some stratospheric balloon flights have potentially significant implications: World View’s balloons are powered by thousands of cubic meters of helium, which is a limited resource . But Ted Parson, a professor of environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that space travel’s environmental impact is still dwarfed by civil aviation. And because space travel is ultra-niche, he believes it’s likely to stay that way.

“Despite extensive projections, space tourism is likely to remain a tiny fraction of commercial space exploration,” he said. “It reminds me of tourism on Mt. Everest. It’s the indulgence of very rich people seeking a transcendent, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the local environmental burden is intense.”

Stay a while?

In the future, space enthusiasts insist, travelers won’t be traveling to space just for the ride. They’ll want to stay a while. Orbital Assembly Corporation, a manufacturing company whose goal is to colonize space, is currently building the world’s first space hotels — two ring-shaped properties that will orbit Earth, called Pioneer Station and Voyager Station. The company, quite optimistically, projects an opening date of 2025 for Pioneer Station, with a capacity of 28 guests. The design for the larger Voyager Station , which they say will open in 2027, promises villas and suites, as well as a gym, restaurant and bar. Both provide the ultimate luxury: simulated gravity. Axiom Space , a space infrastructure company, is currently building the world’s first private space station; plans include Philippe Starck-designed accommodations for travelers to spend the night.

Joshua Bush, chief executive of travel agency Avenue Two Travel , has sold a handful of seats on upcoming Virgin Galactic flights to customers. The market for space travel (and the sky-high prices that come with it), he believes, will evolve much like civilian air travel did.

“In the beginning of the 20th century, only very affluent people could afford to fly,” he said. “Just as we have Spirit and Southwest Airlines today, there will be some sort of equivalent of that in space travel, too. Hopefully within my lifetime.”

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Space tourism, 20 years in the making, is finally ready for launch

This article was originally published at  The Conversation.  The publication contributed the article to Space.com's  Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights .

For most people, getting to the stars is nothing more than a dream. On April 28, 2001, Dennis Tito achieved that lifelong goal — but he wasn't a typical astronaut. Tito, a wealthy businessman,  paid US$20 million for a seat on a Russian Soyuz  spacecraft to be the first tourist to visit the International Space Station. Only  seven people have followed suit  in the 20 years since, but that number is poised to double in the next 12 months alone.

NASA has long been  hesitant to play host to space tourists , so Russia — looking for sources of money post-Cold War in the 1990s and 2000s — has been the only option available for those looking for this kind of extreme adventure. However, it seems the rise of private space companies is going to make it easier for regular people to experience space.

From my perspective as  a space policy analyst , I see the beginning of an era in which more people can experience space. With companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin hoping to build a future for humanity in space, space tourism is a way to demonstrate both the safety and reliability of space travel to the general public.

Related: Virgin Galactic says it will launch Richard Branson to space on July 11

The development of space tourism

Flights to space like Dennis Tito's are expensive for a reason. A rocket must burn a lot of costly fuel to travel high and fast enough to enter Earth's orbit.

Another cheaper possibility is a suborbital launch, with the rocket going high enough to reach the edge of space and coming right back down. While passengers on a suborbital trip experience weightlessness and incredible views, these launches are more accessible.

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The difficulty and expense of either option has meant that, traditionally, only nation-states have been able to explore space. This began to change in the 1990s as a series of entrepreneurs entered the space arena. Three companies led by billionaire CEOs have emerged as the major players: Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX. Though none have taken paying, private customers to space, all anticipate doing so in the very near future.

British billionaire Richard Branson has built his brand on not just business but also his love of adventure. In pursuing space tourism, Branson has brought both of those to bear. He established  Virgin Galactic  after buying  SpaceShipOne  - a company that won the  Ansari X-Prize  by building the first reusable spaceship. Since then, Virgin Galactic has sought to design, build and fly a larger  SpaceShipTwo  that can carry up to six passengers in a suborbital flight.

The going has been harder than anticipated. While Branson  predicted opening the business  to tourists in 2009, Virgin Galactic has encountered some significant hurdles — including the death of a pilot in  a crash in 2014 . After the crash, engineers found significant problems with the design of the vehicle, which required modifications.

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, respective leaders of SpaceX and Blue Origin, began their own ventures in the early 2000s.

Musk,  fearing that a catastrophe  of some sort could leave Earth uninhabitable, was frustrated at the lack of progress in making humanity a multiplanetary species. He founded SpaceX in 2002 with the goal of first developing reusable launch technology to decrease the cost of getting to space. Since then, SpaceX has found success with its  Falcon 9  rocket and  Dragon  spacecraft. SpaceX's ultimate goal is human settlement of Mars — sending paying customers to space is an intermediate step. Musk says he hopes to show that space travel can be done easily and that tourism might provide a revenue stream to support development of the larger, Mars-focused Starship system.

Bezos,  inspired by the vision of physicist Gerard O'Neill , wants to expand humanity and industry not to Mars, but to space itself.  Blue Origin , established in 2004, has proceeded slowly and quietly in also developing reusable rockets. Its  New Shepard  rocket, first successfully flown in 2015, will eventually offer tourists a suborbital trip to the edge of space, similar to Virgin Galactic's. For Bezos,  these launches represent  an effort at making space travel routine, reliable and accessible to people as a first step to enabling further space exploration.

Outlook for the future

Now, SpaceX is the only option for someone looking to go into space and orbit the Earth. It currently has two tourist launches planned. The first is  scheduled for as early as September 2021 , funded by billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman. The other trip, planned for 2022, is  being organized by Axiom Space . These trips  will be costly , at $55 million for the flight and a stay on the International Space Station. The high cost has led some to warn that  space tourism  — and private access to space more broadly — might reinforce inequality between rich and poor.

Blue Origin's and Virgin Galactic's suborbital trips are far more reasonable in cost, with both  priced between $200,000 and $250,000 . Blue Origin appears to be the nearest to allowing paying customers on board,  saying after a recent launch  that crewed missions would be happening "soon." Virgin Galactic continues to test SpaceShipTwo, but no specific timetable has been announced for tourist flights.

Though these prices are high, it is worth considering that Dennis Tito's $20 million ticket in 2001 could pay for 100 flights on Blue Origin soon. The experience of viewing the Earth from space, though, may prove to be priceless for a whole new generation of space explorers.

This article is republished from  The Conversation  under a Creative Commons license. Read the  original article .

Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. 

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I received a BA in political science (summa cum laude and university honors) and an MA in political science from the University of Central Florida. I received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Florida where my research focused on the intersection of political institutions and public policy. I have authored several books including Unbroken Government: Success and Failure in Policymaking (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), The Politics of Cancer: Malignant Indifference (Praeger, 2017), and The CQ Press Career Guide for Political Science Students (CQ Press, 2017). My research has also appeared in journals including Congress and the Presidency, Space Policy, and the Journal of Political Science Education. I am currently professor of strategy and security studies at the US Air Force's School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, a selective graduate program for Air Force officers. Prior to my current position, I was associate professor of political science at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma.

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Así es la experiencia del turismo espacial

La instructora de astronautas beth moses, la primera mujer en volar en una nave espacial comercial, da consejos a los futuros turistas extraplanetarios..

La semana pasada, la empresa de vuelos espaciales comerciales Virgin Galactic envió a tres personas en un viaje de ida y vuelta al espacio. Una de ellas era Beth Moses, la instructora jefa de astronautas de la empresa. Era la primera vez que Moses, ingeniera aeroespacial que ha trabajado con la NASA, visitaba el espacio y, con este viaje, se ha convertido en la primera mujer en volar tan alto en una nave comercial.

Actualmente, el trabajo de Moses consiste en preparar a los clientes de Virgin Galactic para la que podría ser la experiencia de sus vidas: un viaje más allá de la atmósfera en el que experimentan microgravedad, en el que el cielo se oscurece y el horizonte terrestre se curva. Los billetes tienen un precio de casi 220.000 euros y, por ahora, 600 personas de 28 países aguardan su turno.

Todo el que se apunte debe superar un reconocimiento médico básico, pero a diferencia del selectivo programa de astronautas de la NASA, los turistas espaciales no tienen que contar con ninguna cualidad específica, solo tener mucho dinero, algo de intrepidez y un espíritu aventurero.

La empresa todavía no está preparada para comenzar las operaciones comerciales, ya que todavía deben completarse más vuelos de prueba, pero Moses afirma que ese día está «muy cerca». Moses nos ha hablado sobre la preparación de vuelo de los futuros astronautas y lo que espera que cambie cuando el espacio se vuelva más accesible.

¿Qué supone ser la instructora jefa de astronautas de Virgin Galactic?

Mi papel consiste en preparar para el vuelo espacial a cualquier astronauta que vuele en nuestra cabina de clientes y garantizar que estén preparados para que lo disfruten de la forma que prefieran disfrutarlo.

¿Cómo formas a la gente para esta experiencia?

Mi objetivo principal consiste en asegurarme de que lleguen al espacio sin ningún tipo de preocupación ni factores sorpresa. Quieren saber qué esperar y estar preparados para ello. No quiero que alguien llegue al espacio y pase un tiempo preguntándose qué son todos esos ruidos, dónde está el norte de la Tierra, si lo que ven por la ventana es normal o si el vuelo va bien.  Quiero que lleguen al espacio para pasárselo como nunca y sean capaces de disfrutar de todo lo que quieran.

Para ese fin, el entrenamiento consiste en un programa de tres días, en teoría, y el primer día se centra en la persona: el traje, el equipo, la comunicación, prepararla para elementos como la fuerza g. El segundo día se centra en la cabina, los otros clientes que volarán contigo, dónde están las vistas y en cierto modo te integras en una tripulación de pasajeros. Y el tercer día consiste en consolidarlo, ensayarlo y comprender la operación en su conjunto.

El cuarto día es el vuelo espacial.

Cuéntanos las experiencias que espera vivir la gente durante los vuelos.

Muy buena pregunta. Le he preguntado eso mismo a todos nuestros astronautas cuando los conocí. Algunas personas dicen que no lo saben, que les gustaría que los preparase para lo que deberían extraer de la experiencia y que les dijera qué no deberían perderse.

Después hay otras personas que tienen las ideas claras. Son gente que tiene ganas de montar en cohete y despegar, gente que quiere experimentar la ingravidez, gente que tiene ambiciones muy personales e introspectivas. Para algunas personas, es la ambición de toda una vida. Para otras, roza lo espiritual. Y luego están los que se mueren por contemplar las vistas, que son la gran mayoría.

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¿Cómo fue tu vuelo espacial?

Magnífico. Indescriptible. Una experiencia maravillosa, increíble y algo intensa. Nuestros clientes son personas con muchísima suerte. Yo viajé como miembro profesional de la tripulación de vuelo, tenía tareas que llevar a cabo durante el vuelo, pero incluso en esa situación me pareció absolutamente mágico.

¿Crees que podrás volver a subir?

Claro, me encantaría, pero también quiero mandar al espacio a todas las personas que conozco y al resto de los humanos. Nuestro objetivo es abrir el espacio, abrirlo para cambiar el mundo y, si te soy franca, aunque me encantó, quiero garantizar que vuele tanta gente como sea posible.

Muchos astronautas dicen que, si pudieran, harían que todo el mundo viera el planeta desde el espacio porque eso cambiaría la forma en que la gente interactúa en la Tierra y las cosas que valoramos, simplemente porque es una vista espectacular y ver el planeta como planeta resulta transformador.

Sí, lo es. Ahora veo las fotos del espacio de una forma completamente diferente, porque no le hacen justicia. Fui consciente de que la Tierra era algo precioso y hermoso, muy debajo de mí, y también eres consciente de la majestuosidad del planeta.

Me siento muy afortunada por haber volado el día que volé, porque el suroeste de los Estados Unidos estaba despejado y resplandecía con montañas cubiertas de nieve, exuberantes y verdes. Para mí, eso es lo que más destacó: todo estaba tan definido desde el espacio que ni siquiera puedo describirlo.

¿Y el cielo?

Estaba muy negro. Un negro muy oscuro, el más oscuro que he visto jamás. Olvídate del vantablack [el material más oscuro fabricado hasta ahora]. Es un negro tan profundo que hace que la Tierra parezca marcada y brillante.

Entonces, ¿podrán los futuros astronautas abrir una botella de champán en pleno vuelo?

Tendremos que estudiar cómo hacer eso. Los proyectiles y las naves espaciales no son una buena combinación, ni los líquidos con la aviónica, pero nunca se sabe.

Esta entrevista se publicó originalmente en inglés en nationalgeographic.com .

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Así será el año para el sector espacial: un cohete de SpaceX en Marte, turismo y más competencias de multimillonarios

Por Jackie Wattles

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Los desastres naturales de 2021 vistos desde el espacio

Nueva York (CNN Business) --  Si 2021 fue el año en que los turistas espaciales adinerados hicieron alardes ostentosos de sus misiones únicas, 2022 promete ser otro año que consolide el control del sector privado sobre los viajes espaciales modernos.

Las grandes empresas están empezando a impregnar todos los ámbitos de los vuelos espaciales, desde los lanzamientos privados más espectaculares hasta el detalle más mínimo. Una versión modificada del asistente virtual Alexa de Amazon incluso formará parte de un viaje futuro de la NASA alrededor de la Luna. Habrá más misiones al espacio tripuladas por los ultrarricos. SpaceX, de Elon Musk, también planea poner por primera vez en la órbita terrestre su colosal cohete Starship, de 120 metros de altura, cuyo destino final es llegar a Marte.

Al igual que en años anteriores, los reguladores federales se enfrentarán a lo que puede y debe ser su papel en esta nueva era.

He aquí un vistazo a lo que está por venir.

Starship y la Administración Federal de Aviación

SpaceX, la imagen de la era espacial comercial, ha estado ansioso por lanzar una versión a escala real de su cohete Starship en su primer vuelo de prueba orbital.

El lanzamiento será crucial. El Starship promete superar la potencia de cualquier cohete jamás construido, incluidos los cohetes Saturn V que llevaron a los astronautas a la Luna en el siglo pasado.

(La NASA también lanzará este año su propio cohete nuevo: una misión de prueba para el próximo alunizaje llamada Artemis 1 , que utilizará un cohete diferente que también promete superar la potencia del Saturn V).

• La NASA aplaza la misión Artemis I a la Luna

Después de unos cuantos lanzamientos de prueba a gran altura en la primera mitad de 2021 de la nave espacial superior, la compañía ha estado ensamblando su primer cohete Starship a escala real. El cual se completa con un gigantesco cohete propulsor que promete impulsar la nave espacial hasta la órbita.

Musk había indicado que la empresa estaba preparada para empezar ese vuelo de prueba desde julio del año pasado.

Pero la segunda mitad de 2021 estuvo llena de obstáculos. La Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA, por sus siglas en inglés), que autoriza los lanzamientos de cohetes comerciales, realizaba una evaluación ambiental para revisar cuál sería el impacto de lanzar un cohete tan masivo desde la costa rural de Texas. En octubre se abrió un periodo de comentarios públicos en el que se escucharon las voces de muchos residentes locales que se oponían firmemente a la idea , así como de algunos fervientes partidarios que no eran necesariamente de la zona.

Los participantes en los comentarios públicos podían llamar desde cualquier lugar. Y aunque la mayoría de la gente se pronunció a favor de dejar que el proyecto siguiera adelante, las personas que se identificaron como residentes en las inmediaciones del lugar de lanzamiento de SpaceX en el sur de Texas se opusieron en su mayoría, según un recuento realizado por Joey Roulette, entonces reportero de The Verge.

Aunque SpaceX esperaba inicialmente obtener luz verde a finales de 2021, según la FAA, la evaluación medioambiental continuará al menos hasta el 28 de febrero de 2022.

La agencia citó "el alto volumen de comentarios presentados" y "las discusiones y esfuerzos de consulta con las partes consultoras" como motivos del retraso.

Turismo orbital y lanzamientos de astronautas

Con su programa Starship en el limbo, SpaceX ha mantenido sus lanzamientos de astronautas, en colaboración con la NASA, más o menos dentro de lo previsto.

Y habrá más. Los astronautas que viajaron a la Estación Espacial Internacional a bordo de una cápsula Dragon de SpaceX regresarán en abril. De hecho, está previsto que una nueva tripulación de cuatro personas se lance a bordo de su propia cápsula Dragon para sustituirlos ese mismo mes.

• Turismo espacial: las diferencias entre las misiones de SpaceX, Virgin Galactic y Blue Origin

Con la bendición de la NASA, SpaceX también es libre de vender vuelos a bordo de Dragon a cualquiera que pueda pagarlo. La empresa planea hacer eso justo después de su misión Inspiration-4 de 2021 , un proyecto que incluye a cuatro personas y está dirigida por la startup Axiom , con sede en Houston, que llevará a tres empresarios y a un exastronauta a la Estación Espacial Internacional.

También se están preparando otros vuelos turísticos de SpaceX a la órbita, aunque aún no se han concretado los planes ni las fechas de lanzamiento.

Las oportunidades de viajar a la órbita también pueden expandirse este año si Boeing logra poner en marcha su nave espacial Starliner.

A Boeing la contrataron junto con SpaceX para desarrollar una nave espacial apta para la tripulación, capaz de transportar astronautas profesionales a la EEI y, si la empresa lo desea, turistas adinerados. Pero Boeing se ha visto asediada por numerosos problemas de pruebas y desarrollo.

Recientemente, el Starliner fue retirado de la plataforma de lanzamiento tras descubrirse problemas en su sistema de propulsión poco antes de un vuelo de prueba programado. La compañía dice ahora que lo más pronto que puede despegar una prueba sin tripulación es mayo de 2022.

Branson, Bezos y el turismo espacial suborbital

Las empresas espaciales de Richard Branson y Jeff Bezos llevan años trabajando en el desarrollo de naves espaciales capaces de llevar a clientes adinerados a breves viajes supersónicos al borde del espacio. En 2021, ambos multimillonarios realizaron sus propios viajes a bordo de sus respectivas naves espaciales.

Los dos vuelos terminaron sin problemas aparentes. Y los hombres salieron de sus naves espaciales equipados con trajes de vuelo personalizados y radiantes para las cámaras.

El exitoso lanzamiento de Bezos en julio catapultó a la compañía a un ajetreado resto del año en el que volaron algunas figuras de alto nivel como "invitados de honor". Lo que significa que no tuvieron que pagar los pasajes. El 2022 promete traer aún más actividad para la empresa de turismo espacial, llamada Blue Origin, aunque la compañía aún no ha anunciado las fechas de los vuelos ni los pasajeros para este año.

• Jeff Bezos y Richard Branson llegaron al espacio: ¿qué sigue ahora?

Pero Virgin Galactic se enfrenta a retrasos importantes. Un informe del diario New Yorker reveló que las luces de advertencia se apagaron en la cabina durante el vuelo de Branson y que el avión espacial viajó fuera de su espacio aéreo designado durante 41 segundos. La Administración Federal de Aviación suspendió todos los vuelos a la espera de una revisión, que concluyó en septiembre y dio el visto bueno a Virgin Galactic. Sin embargo, la empresa está retrasando el inicio de los servicios comerciales hasta al menos el tercer trimestre de 2022, bajo el argumento de mejoras tecnológicas no relacionadas.

Los problemas laborales empiezan a surgir

Por su parte, Blue Origin se ha enfrentado a sus propias controversias, aunque ninguna ha indicado problemas específicos de seguridad con su cohete o nave espacial.

Más bien, un grupo de 21 empleados actuales y anteriores firmaron una carta en la que señalan que la empresa tiene un ambiente de trabajo tóxico, donde la "disidencia profesional" es "sofocada activamente". Blue Origin respondió a las acusaciones diciendo que "no tolera la discriminación ni el acoso de ningún tipo".

• Blue Origin: un ensayo denuncia el sexismo y la cultura "deshumanizante" en la empresa de cohetes de Jeff Bezos

La carta suscitó suficiente preocupación en la FAA como para empezar una revisión. Pero, informes de CNN Business también revelaron que los investigadores de la agencia asignados a la tarea enfrentaron obstáculos por la falta de protecciones legales para los denunciantes en la industria de los vuelos espaciales comerciales.

Los correos electrónicos que obtuvo CNN Business mostraron que la revisión se cerró a pesar de que los investigadores nunca tuvieron la oportunidad de hablar con ninguna de las personas que firmaron anónimamente el texto de denuncia .

La situación volvió a poner de manifiesto la complejidad del "periodo de aprendizaje" para la industria espacial que designó el gobierno federal , una medida que impide a los reguladores aplicar ciertas normas nuevas o ejercer los mismos poderes de supervisión que tiene para otros sectores.

Esta designación expira en 2023, y la FAA indicó que los legisladores están supervisando la situación y considerando un cambio. Además, todo el asunto podría ser pronto objeto de un informe de la Oficina de Responsabilidad Gubernamental (GAO, por sus siglas en inglés).

Los correos electrónicos obtenidos por CNN Business muestran que la GAO se puso en contacto con la FAA para obtener más información sobre su investigación acerca de Blue Origin.

Mientras tanto, las acusaciones sobre la cultura laboral de Blue Origin, similares a las de otro documento de denuncia sobre SpaceX , han puesto a la industria espacial comercial bajo un mayor escrutinio.

• Blue Origin, la compañía de viajes turísticos al espacio de Jeff Bezos, lanza su tercer vuelo, con seis astronautas a bordo

Un gran vacío que está aglomerado

Preguntas similares sobre cómo regular el espacio exterior en la era de la comercialización se están planteando en la escena internacional. Con SpaceX y otros poniendo miles de satélites para un nuevo negocio que se basa en el espacio, y una reciente prueba de destrucción de satélites que ejecutó el gobierno de Rusia, la preocupación por el hacinamiento en la órbita terrestre va en aumento.

Recientemente se han producido numerosos sucesos de gran repercusión que ponen de manifiesto lo que está en juego: los satélites Starlink de SpaceX estuvieron a punto de chocar con la estación espacial china, la Estación Espacial Internacional ha tenido que maniobrar para apartarse de la trayectoria de los desechos en numerosas ocasiones, y cohetes desintegrados han caído de la órbita fuera de control.

• Los satélites de SpaceX de Elon Musk se enfrentan a críticas en China por aproximarse a la estación espacial

Grupos de las Naciones Unidas llevan décadas trabajando para actualizar los tratados internacionales que rigen el uso del espacio exterior. Hasta ahora, han tenido poco éxito.

Pero el esfuerzo está ganando atención una vez más con una resolución del 1 de noviembre que creó un grupo de trabajo de composición abierta que evaluará "las amenazas actuales y futuras a las operaciones espaciales, determinará cuándo un comportamiento puede ser considerado irresponsable, 'hará recomendaciones sobre posibles normas, reglas y principios de comportamientos responsables', y contribuirá a la negociación de instrumentos legalmente vinculantes; -- incluyendo un tratado para prevenir 'una carrera armamentista en el espacio'", según un artículo publicado recientemente y escrito por dos expertos en política espacial.

Space tourism explained: What, why and where

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Space tourism is an exciting development in the travel and tourism industry. A futuristic type of tourism , the prospect of being able to spend leisure time in space is a daunting concept for many. But whilst some of us may have expected only have to be able to experience space tourism using virtual reality software, several companies are turning holidays in space into a reality.

What is space tourism?

Space tourism definitions, history of space tourism, rocket launches, space museums, space tourism holidays, virgin galactic, blue origin, is space tourism safe, the cost of space tourism holidays, space tourism: conclusion, further reading.

Space tourism is a type of tourism that involves an interest in space. Whilst most people associate space tourism solely with trips to space, the concept of space tourism is, in fact, broader than this.

Space tourism can include visiting space-focussed museums, watching rocket launches or travelling to destinations popular for stargazing, amongst other space-related activities.

Most recently, there has been a lot of commercial attention centred around the concept of travelling to space as a tourist; this is something that several companies are working to achieve in the near future, including Virgin Galactic and SpaceX.

If you Google the phrase ‘what is space tourism’ you will quickly be informed by Google, Wikipedia and a range of other sources that it is travelling to space for leisure or business purposes.

I, however, contest that space tourism is solely focussed upon the act of travelling to space. There is so much more to space tourism than this! Yes, this is an exciting prospect that has grabbed the attention of the media and the public, but hold on a minute…. what about all the other space-related activities that we can do without boarding a rocket and leaving the solar system?

The people over at The Space Tourism Guide have the right idea. They state that;

‘Space Tourism is not — and should not be — confined to space alone… While we can and should consider all of the activities from space tourism companies like Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, Zero2Infinity, and others space tourism, we should not discredit the companies and destinations here on earth who meet the needs and desires for all of us who love to travel for space-related activities. These can vary widely, from cities and museums like Space Center Houston to hotels with space-themed rooms.’

Space tourism is so much more than taking a trip to space! In fact, I argue that space tourism should encompass all activities related to space and astrology!

To date, there is little academic research into space tourism. Yes, some people have looked into astrology and the like, but on the whole, there is a dearth of information. Most research that has been conducted has focussed on looking at potential demand and market demographics.

In light of the misleading definitions that you will find when asking your favourite search engine what is meant by the term space tourism, I have provided my own definition below.

‘Space tourism is the act of taking part in activities that involve or are related to space, either for business or leisure purposes.’

So there you have it- a definition of space tourism.

There are a total of 600 people that have been to space. The first man visited space in 1961, but it was actually long before this day that many people developed an interest in space. In fact, people have been star gazing as long as records go back. Heck, even the ancient pyramids of Egypt were built around the stars .

So, the concept of space tourism is not new.

The 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s saw huge progress in space research. The Soviet Union and The United States were world leaders in this area; undertaking many trips to space, exploring our solar system, nearby planets and moons. Space travel became more affordable and we learnt a lot during this time.

It was only at the turn of the new millennium that commercial space tourism ,whereby a tourist could travel to space, started to become a reality. A handful of wealthy citizens from around the world embarked on their leisure outings to space between 2001-2009. Observing this demand, a number of space tourism operators began to emerge, namely Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and Rocket Lab. Said companies have since become household names.

In recent years the commercial hype and excitement towards space tourism has died down. The public continue to eagerly await the days that they may be able to exchange their all-inclusive holiday in Benidorm for a week of zero-gravity in space, but for most, this is an unrealistic and unachievable prospect.

For now, it appears that travelling into space will be available only for the super-rich, and we do not yet know when this might be attainable. BUT the space tourism industry in all its other forms (museums, star gazing, rocket launches etc) remains to be obtainable to all.

Types of space tourism

We might not realistically be able to travel into space for our annual leave days just yet, but there are still ways that we can get involved with the space tourism industry. Here are some examples.

Stargazing is a popular space tourism pastime for many. There are many parts of the world that are renowned for their stargazing potential. These are usually remote areas, where the light pollution is reduced, enabling maximum visibility.

Some popular stargazing destinations have capitalised on the tourist market by organising stargazing tours or stargazing-focussed accommodation options, such as bubble hotels. This CNN article shows you some of the best bubble hotel spots around the world. Many people use this opportunity to visit the Northern Lights or the Southern Lights too.

Lots of these destinations are perfect for practicing your astrophotography too!

Whilst a rocket launch may not be an everyday occurrence, it is possible to spectate when they do happen. Once operated only by Governments, there are now a range of private companies that undertake rocket launches.

If you travel to a destination with the sole intention of watching a rocket launch, or if you watch a rocket launch alongside other business or leisure pursuits, you can be classified as a space tourist.

A prominent part of the space tourism industry are space museums.

There are many museums throughout the world that are focussed around the concept of space, although these are most numerous in the United States and Russia. Here are some of the most highly-rated space museums.

• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, US
• Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Canada
• Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics, Moscow, Russia
• Pima Air and Space Museum, Arizona , US
• Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, New York City, US
• Le Bourget Air and Space Museum, Paris, France
• Kennedy Space Center, Florida , US
• Cité de l’espace, Toulouse, France

As I mentioned earlier, space tourism holidays are what many people think space tourism is all about. Whilst there are other activities that constitute space tourism, space tourism holidays have gained a lot of media attention in recent years, and rightly so. Who wouldn’t pick up the paper and read an article that tells them that they can swap their two weeks in the sun for two weeks in space?

OK, so it isn’t quite so simple. It will require some adjustment to spending time at zero gravity, you might get a little travel sick and you might not return home with quite the same tan lines, BUT space tourism holidays are set to become a reality.

There are a number of companies who have been developing their space tourism products for a number of years, although exactly when we can go on our next space tourism holiday, is yet to be determined.

Space tourism companies

There are several key players in the space tourism holiday market. See below for a brief summary of each.

Virgin Galactic is perhaps one of the best known space tourism holiday companies. It is part of the wider Virgin Group and therefore has the benefit of an already well-established brand and reputation. It is owned by Richard Branson.

The company plans to send range of tourists to space and already has an extensive waitlist for eager space travellers, including the likes of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber.

Virgin Galactic has, however, had some negative publicity in recent times, with multiple delays and the in-flight loss of its VSS Enterprise spaceplane in 2014.

Unlike Virgin Galactic, SpaceX are an experienced rocket launching company that are now extending their operations to the commercial space tourism holiday market.

SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk. Their first holiday was initially scheduled for 2018, but has since been delayed.

Blue Origin plans to offer similar space tourism holidays to that offered by Virgin Galactic. With a traditional, vertical take-off rocket, the company plans to begin operations soon, although there is not firm date set yet.

Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by Mr Bezos.

Orion Span plans to send tourists to space to stay in their ‘space hotel’. The space hotel would accommodate up to six tourists at a time and would be positioned the private commercial space station, Aurora Space Station.

The CEO of Orion Span is Frank Bunger who states that the company’s ‘goal is to make space accessible to all’. They plan to begin operations in 2021.

Better known for their aircraft that do not leave the hemisphere, Boeing have also branched out into the space tourism holiday market.

Boeing’s involvement emerged from their working arrangement with NASA, whereby they have been working on the Commercial Crew Development programme, aimed at increasing involvement from private sector companies in the production of crew vehicles to be launched into orbit.

Boeing have developed a crew capsule, called the Boeing CST-100 Starliner, providing them with the opportunity to sell seats to space tourists.

There have been some concerns over the safety of space tourism, particularly after the negative publicity surrounding the Virgin Galactic loss of aircraft in 2014.

Because it’s so early in development of the space tourism industry and the FAA can’t control how companies design and manufacture their aircraft , it’s hard to say how safe space tourism holidays will be.

There have been many critiques, however, who have suggested that there will be deaths amongst tourists who seek to holiday in space. The number of accidents that have occurred during the testing phases hasn’t done much to people’s minds at ease, either.

Space tourism holidays are for everyday folk, at least not yet anyway, because you need to have a hefty sum of money in your pocket to be able to afford the ticket.

Prices start from US$250,000 and range up to tens of millions of Dollars. Whilst each space tourism holiday company will differ slightly, prices will typically include pre-departure training and equipment. For now, space tourism trips are set to be short in duration, lasting only a few hours. The intention is, however, that trips can be extended in the future to allow for prolonged stays in space.

As you can see, the space tourism industry is a prominent part of the wider tourism industry. Whilst most attention typically goes to the exciting prospect of space tourism holidays, there are also a number of other leisure pursuits that constitute space tourism.

It is likely that we will see many developments in the space tourism industry in the coming years, as research and development continues to be undertaken by a number of commercial operators. Watch this space and maybe you will be the next person to spend your annual leave days in space!

If you want to read up on the space tourism industry a little more then I can recommend the following texts-

• The Market for Space Tourism: Early Indications by Geoffrey Crouch- An overview of the Space Tourism market and its future potential
• Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly- A diary account of NASA astronaut’s experiences in space.
• Space Tourism by Patrick Stakem- A textbook introducing the concept of space tourism.

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Space Tourism

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Space tourism often refers to nonprofessional astronauts traveling into outer space for recreational purposes (Cohen and Spector 2019 ). Activities such as traveling to watch a rocket launch, tour a space museum, or visit a planetarium are sometimes categorized as forms of “terrestrial” space tourism (Cater 2010 ). High altitude fighter jet flights, zero-gravity experiences, and virtual reality simulations can also be conceptualized as related to space tourism.

Touristic travel into outer space is commonly demarcated as necessitating reaching the “Kármán line” at 100 km above Earth’s surface. This boundary, while widely used, is artificial, as the atmosphere becomes progressively thinner rather than ending abruptly. Travel into outer space can be divided into three main categories: suborbital, orbital, and beyond orbit.

Suborbital spaceflights briefly travel beyond the Kármán line and then return. For a few minutes, passengers experience weightlessness, see the curvature of Earth, and...

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Cater, C. 2010. Steps to space; opportunities for astrotourism. Tourism Management 31: 838–845.

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Cohen, E., and S. Spector. 2019. Space tourism: The elusive dream . Bingley: Emerald.

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Crouch, G., T. Devinney, J. Louviere, and T. Islam. 2009. Modelling consumer choice behavior in space tourism. Tourism Management 30: 441–454.

Damjanov, K., and G. Crouch. 2019. Virtual reality and space tourism. In Space tourism: The elusive dream , ed. E. Cohen and S. Spector. Bingley: Emerald.

Ormrod, J., and P. Dickens. 2017. The Palgrave handbook of society, culture and outer space . Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Ross, M., and J. Vedda. 2018. The policy and science of rocket emissions . The Aerospace Corporation. https://aerospace.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/RocketEmissions_0.pdf

Toivonen, A. 2020. Sustainable space tourism . Bristol: Channel View.

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Spector, S. (2021). Space Tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_755-1

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Turismo espacial: um civil pode ir para o espaço?

O ano de 2021 foi agitado para o turismo espacial privado: no geral, mais de 15 civis fizeram uma viagem ao espaço durante este ano. Neste artigo, você aprenderá mais sobre a indústria do turismo espacial, sua história e as empresas mais propensas a fazer de você um turista espacial.

O que é turismo espacial?

Breve história do turismo espacial, empresas de turismo espacial, voos espaciais orbitais e suborbitais, quanto custa para uma pessoa ir ao espaço, turismo espacial vale a pena, posso me tornar um turista espacial, por que o turismo espacial é ruim para o meio ambiente.

Turismo espacial é a viagem espacial humana para fins recreativos ou de lazer . Ele é dividido em diferentes tipos, incluindo turismo espacial orbital, suborbital e lunar.

No entanto, existem definições mais amplas para o turismo espacial. De acordo com o Guia do Turismo Espacial , o turismo espacial é uma atividade comercial relacionada ao espaço que inclui ir ao espaço como turista, assistir ao lançamento de um foguete, observar estrelas ou viajar para um destino com foco no espaço.

O primeiro turista espacial foi Dennis Tito, um multimilionário americano que passou quase oito dias a bordo da Estação Espacial Internacional em abril de 2001. Essa viagem custou-lhe US$ 20 milhões e fez de Tito o primeiro cidadão particular a comprar uma passagem espacial. Nos oito anos seguintes, mais seis cidadãos seguiram Tito até a Estação Espacial Internacional para se tornarem turistas espaciais.

À medida que o turismo espacial se tornou uma realidade, dezenas de empresas entraram nesse setor com a esperança de lucrar com o renovado interesse público no espaço, incluindo a Blue Origin em 2000 e a Virgin Galactic em 2004. Na década de 2000, os turistas espaciais estavam limitados a lançamentos a bordo das aeronaves russas Soyuz e só podiam ir para a EEI. Porém, tudo mudou quando os outros players começaram a crescer no mercado. Agora, há uma variedade de destinos e empresas para viagens ao espaço.

Hoje, existem seis grandes empresas espaciais que estão organizando ou planejando organizar voos turísticos para o espaço:

• Virgin Galactic;
• Blue Origin;
• Axiom Space;
• Space Perspective.

Enquanto as duas primeiras estão focadas em voos suborbitais, a Axiom e a Boeing estão trabalhando em missões orbitais. A SpaceX, por sua vez, está priorizando o turismo lunar no futuro. Por enquanto, a empresa de Elon Musk permitiu que sua espaçonave Crew Dragon fosse fretada para voos orbitais, como aconteceu com a missão de 3 dias Inspiration4 . A Space Perspective está desenvolvendo um sistema diferente, baseado em balão, para transportar os clientes para a estratosfera, e pretende iniciar seus voos comerciais em 2024.

Os voos orbitais e suborbitais são muito diferentes. Fazer um voo orbital significa permanecer em órbita; em outras palavras, dar a volta ao planeta continuamente em uma velocidade muito alta para não cair de volta na Terra. Uma viagem dessas leva vários dias, até mesmo uma semana ou mais. Um voo suborbital, por sua vez, é mais como um salto espacial: você decola, faz um enorme arco e, eventualmente, cai de volta na Terra, sem nunca entrar em órbita. A duração de um voo desses varia de 2 a 3 horas.

Aqui está um exemplo: um voo espacial leva você a uma altitude de 100 km acima da Terra. Para entrar em órbita — fazer um voo orbital — você teria que adquirir uma velocidade de cerca de 28.000 km por hora ou mais. Mas para alcançar a altitude determinada e voltar para a Terra — fazer um voo suborbital — você teria que voar a apenas 6.000 km por hora. Esse voo consome menos energia, menos combustível; portanto, é menos caro.

• Virgin Galactic: US$ 250.000 para um voo suborbital de 2 horas a uma altitude de 80 km;
• Blue Origin: aproximadamente US$ 300.000 para um voo suborbital de 12 minutos a uma altitude de 100 km;
• Axiom Space: US$ 55 milhões para um voo orbital de 10 dias;
• Space Perspective: US$ 125.000 para um voo de 6 horas até a borda do espaço (32 km acima da Terra).

O preço depende, mas lembre-se de que os voos espaciais suborbitais são sempre mais baratos.

O que exatamente você espera de uma viagem ao espaço? Além das impressões incríveis, confira o que você pode vivenciar durante uma viagem dessas:

• Microgravidade . Lembre-se de que, durante um voo suborbital, você terá apenas alguns minutos de microgravidade, mas será realmente fascinante .
• Doença do espaço . Os sintomas incluem suores frios, mal-estar, perda de apetite, náuseas, fadiga e vômitos. Nem os astronautas experientes estão imunes a ela!
• Força G . 1G é a aceleração que sentimos devido à força da gravidade; geralmente, os astronautas sentem cerca de 3Gs durante o lançamento de um foguete. Para entender como uma força G influencia as pessoas , assista a este vídeo.

Por ora, o obstáculo mais significativo do turismo espacial é o preço. Mas as viagens aéreas também já foram caras; uma passagem de ida custava mais da metade do preço de um carro novo . Muito provavelmente, o preço das viagens espaciais também cairá ao longo do tempo. Por enquanto, você precisa ser muito rico ou vencer uma competição, como fez Sian Proctor, membro da missão Inspiration4 . Mas, antes de gastar milhares de dólares em viagens espaciais, confira mais um fato que convém considerar.

Os lançamentos de foguetes são prejudiciais ao meio ambiente, em geral. Durante a queima dos combustíveis do foguete, os motores liberam gases nocivos e partículas de fuligem (também conhecidas como carbono negro) na alta atmosfera, resultando na redução da camada de ozônio. Pense nisto: em 2018, foguetes produtores de carbono negro emitiram aproximadamente a mesma quantidade de carbono negro que a indústria global de aviação emite anualmente.

No entanto, nem todas as empresas espaciais usam carbono negro como combustível. O foguete New Shepard da Blue Origin tem um motor movido a hidrogênio líquido: o hidrogênio não emite carbono, mas simplesmente se transforma em vapor d'água ao queimar.

A principal razão pela qual o turismo espacial pode ser prejudicial ao meio ambiente é sua possível popularidade. Com o aumento da quantidade de lançamentos de foguetes, a pegada de carbono só aumentará — a Virgin Galactic, sozinha, pretende lançar 400 desses voos todos os anos. Enquanto isso, a fuligem liberada por 1.000 voos de turismo espacial poderia aquecer a Antártica em quase 1 °C !

Você gostaria de se tornar um turista espacial? Conte-nos a sua opinião nas redes sociais e compartilhe o artigo com seus amigos, se você gostou!