Do you want to explode in space? For six years, you may very well find yourself in a spacesuit traveling through the galaxy. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has announced that it hopes to start space tourism by 2030 at a cost of Rs 6 crore per passenger.
Work is underway to have India’s own space tourism module, which is safe, durable and reusable. And, those who travel in space can call themselves astronauts, according to ISRO.
It is too early to comment on whether the proposed space travel will be orbital or sub-orbital.
However, considering the high cost of the module at Rs 6 crore, sub-orbital space travel is likely to be an option.
The main difference between orbital and suborbital flight is the speed of the traveling object.
In essence, a suborbital trip involves a brief glimpse of space before returning to Earth while an orbital flight involves maintaining an orbit. To avoid falling to Earth, it is forced to fly incredibly fast around the world.
We are currently in a new era of space tourism, with increasing numbers of people leaving Earth for limited periods of time, thanks to private companies specializing in such endeavors.
And later, regular long-term space travel may even become a reality.
Space tourism has seen growing demand and fascination with the world’s top billionaires — including Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk — launching trials for space travel.
Space tourism, which was seen straight out of a science fiction movie, is now becoming a reality.
Richard Branson made history in July 2021 by launching a fully crewed Virgin Galactic spacecraft ahead of competitor Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
In July 2021, British billionaire Richard Branson made history by launching a fully-crewed Virgin Galactic spacecraft ahead of competitor Bezos’ Blue Origin.
Branson’s successful mission was not just a victory for ‘billionaires in space’.
This signals the beginning of a new era that could allow amateur astronauts to travel into space outside of official programs. It will help open space industry.
Depending on a company’s technological capabilities, the features that space tourism offers and the cost per person can vary dramatically.
As a result of this disparity, there are noticeable differences in price, experience and even the risks of becoming an astronaut.
For example, Blue Origin launches vertically like most rockets, while Virgin Galactic launches its rocket-powered spacecraft from the belly of an airplane.
Although these two companies — each of which has launched passengers into space — are the only suborbital enterprises approved for launch by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), other businesses are preparing for takeoff.
Since SpaceX is an orbital spacecraft and Bezos’ Blue Origin and Branson’s Virgin Galactic are suborbital, Musk’s trip package is about 200 times more expensive than the other two.
The extent of orbital space tourism was limited to a few missions using Soviet Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station.
But SpaceX has now entered the field with the launch of the Crew Dragon capsule and the Falcon 9 rocket.
For the first time, SpaceX sent two NASA astronauts into orbit and brought them back, making the mission historic not only for Musk’s business, but also for the American space agency.
SpaceX managed to accomplish what had previously only been done by government agencies: send people into orbit.
SpaceX’s successful launches of three different astronaut flights have reduced the cost of space travel by millions and greatly benefited NASA.
SpaceX is also developing its upgraded Starship rocket. This is the highest goal of the mask. He wants to build a fully-reusable rocket system that can catapult 100 passengers or tons of cargo at a time.
Bezos also has an eye on the future. Like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Blue Origin aims to help NASA return to the Moon by developing space infrastructure.
To compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, Blue Origin is building the massive New Glenn rocket.
But Bezos’ Blue Origin recently suffered a setback and has had to cease operations for the time being.
The company is now looking to make a full recovery and return to form by the end of 2023.
There is still much to be done in the development of space tourism.
While Bezos, Branson and Musk are established names in space technology, many new competitors are emerging.
Perhaps, this will pave the way to lower costs of space tourism, thus allowing more people to enjoy space travel.
