Coming in 2030: Space travel for Rs 6 crore? | Latest news India

In 2030, and Indians who can afford it will be able to don space suits, sit in a module on top of a rocket and travel in space — for ₹6 crore rupees.

Senior Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) officials said work around the government’s space tourism initiative is gaining momentum and India will price space tickets at “competitive prices” in the global market.

ISRO chairman, S Somnath said that the cost per ticket for space travel could be approx ₹6 crore—the range at which other existing global players are currently venturing into their space.

“Work is underway around India’s own space tourism module, which is safe and reusable. The price per ticket can be approx ₹6 crores. Those who will travel will also be able to call themselves astronauts,” said Somnath.

Although Somnath did not specify whether space tourism would be sub-orbital (at an altitude of 100 km, reaching the edge of space) or orbital (400 km), the cost suggests that it will be the former. Typically, on such trips, tourists spend about 15 minutes at the edge of space, experiencing a few minutes in a low-gravity environment before descending. The flights are operated by reusable rockets, making the economics viable for the companies providing the flights.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha in February that ISRO has already started a feasibility study for sub-orbital space tourism in India. On-board the mission is a liquid propellant stage booster.

“Through Gaganyaan—India’s first human spaceflight program—ISRO is engaged in the development of various technologies, which are essential building blocks for human space missions,” Singh said.

Space tourism is not new. Dennis Tito, an aerospace engineer and financial analyst, was 60 in 2001 when he became the first paying space tourist. He paid Russia $20 million to fly in a Soyuz spacecraft and spend a week on the International Space Station (ISS). Since then, several companies, including Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX, have begun offering trips to space with sub-orbital space flight tickets starting at around $450,000.

ISRO scientists said the government’s space tourism project will be planned in partnership with private companies, which will partner with the space agency through its commercial arm Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACE) to develop the module. .

The Government has created IN-SPACE as a single window organization to promote, enable, approve and supervise private companies in the space sector in India.

The initial space tourism plan presented by ISRO to the government said the focus would be on developing technology to ensure a robust escape system, on-demand launch, recovery, reuse and retro-propulsion landing.

“Apart from the Gaganyaan mission, we are also learning from our Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), which is one of ISRO’s most challenging endeavours. As we are bringing the space experience to the common man, we need to ensure that these trips are extremely safe and our technologies pass safety clearances,” said Somnath.