Space; The Next Best Holiday Destination After Switzerland

Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, and Christopher Faranetta, vice-president of Space Adventures’ Orbital Space Flight Programme, have announced that space will officially be opened to the mass tourism business by 2008. By 2008 the first commercial passengers will be piloted into suborbital space. It will be no less than the ride of their lives.

It was announced by the two spaceflight company executives at a Space Tourism event held at the Royal Aeronautical Society’s (RAeS) London Headquarters earlier this month.

Space Adventures is a veteran in the space tourism industry and has already sent three affluent individuals, since 2001, to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Russian Soyuz craft. Two more participants have been scheduled along with a back-up to complete the necessary training in Star City, Russia, for further journeys to the station.

Virgin Galactic is also working to establish itself in the space tourism industry as well as in the suborbital spacecraft development field. Galactic had partnered with Ansari X Prize winner, Burt Rutan, and his company Scaled Composites in 2005, in order to form The Spaceship Company which had the main objective of building suborbital craft and provide the ships to Virgin Galactic to be used as some of the first vehicles to carry paying passengers into suborbital space.

A booking and marketing agency for extreme activities, Incredible Adventures, also has been engaged in the space tourism business for some time. It already has several years’ experience in organising MiG flights for its customers and now is also offering a variety of space-related adventures which include bookings for future suborbital flights. In view of, Jane Reifert, Incredible Adventures’ president, space tourism has existed for many years already. Simulated weightlessness can be experienced by customers in a MiG-25 as well as in a modified B-727 which is operated by the Zero-G Company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

But for many, the question is, whether an orbital or suborbital journey is affordable? Some people question as to whether space travel be a real possibility for the masses in the near future?

In 2002, Futron Corporation, released a Space Tourism Market Study which was based upon data received during a survey conducted by Futron’s project partner, Zogby International. The study comprised of both orbital and suborbital travel data as well as forecasts for future commercial space travel demand. As per the study, individuals polled included only those with a net worth of USD1 million plus, or an annual income of USD250,000 or more.

Their study has also predicted that space tourism could become a competitive, thriving business. It is expected that by 2021, up to 14,000 passengers annually will book suborbital flights and the industry will be taking in over USD700 million. Orbital passengers may increase to 60 per year and generate over USD300 million of revenue during the same time frame.

Space Adventures is now charging USD102,000 for the pre-booking of a suborbital flight to depart when the trips become available in about two years. Virgin Galactic is expected to charge about USD200,000 for its first suborbital flights.

However, according to Futron, prices will decrease gradually after the first three years of commercial service and as demand increases the passenger flight fee could fall to USD50,000 by 2021.

The Futron study also found that public interest in space travel increased when the price of an orbital trip dropped significantly.

Currently, a six-month training time is required for orbital trips that are endured by the likes of multimillionaires Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Greg Olsen. It is reported that in future, this time will be reduced to a month or more. To prepare a participant for a suborbital flight time of approximately one to two hours, Space Adventures’, Virgin Galactic’s and Incredible Adventures’ training duration targets will be approximately one week or less.

Both Space Adventures and Virgin Galactic are planning to engage in rigorous vehicle testing previous to any passengers boarding commercial craft.

Space Adventures will book flights on both, Myasishchev Design Bureau’s Explorer, an M-55X air-launched spacecraft design, and the XCOR Xerus, a ground-launched, horizontal launch and landing, rocket-propelled spacecraft. The Xerus can carry only one passenger, while the Explorer can take five.

Virgin Galactic will rely on the Spaceship Company’s/Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipTwo and White Knight Two designs.

Galactic has also investigated potential spaceport sites in the UAE, Australia, Scotland and Sweden.

The prime considerations for spaceport construction are the ability to build a long runway, the absence of a large population in the area, the potential area market for space tourism and good weather to prevent launch delays.

Future space tours booked and operated by Space Adventures and Virgin Galactic will include circumlunar and lunar landing excursions and flights through the Aurora Borealis.

Currently, Space Adventures is quoting USD100 million as the price for a trip to the Moon.

So, now it is not difficult for any human to reach stars. Just pay USD100 million, and you are there, right with the stars.