WHAT IS SPACE TOURISM

WHAT IS SPACE TOURISM?

Space tourism also known as space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. It gives people a chance to feel what it is like to fly in space, see unique views of our Earth from orbit and have fun with some zero-gravity activities.

FEATURES OF SPACE TOURISM

· Successful suborbital flights are done at an altitude above 100 km, however due to the short time spent in space and microgravity this research can only be accomplished

· Orbital Flights: Circling the Earth for several days, making observations of our planet and performing scientific experiments.

· Space Hotels: Accommodations in space with panoramic view and zero-gravity entertainment. Strolling on the moon, lunatics traveling and discovering lunar panoramas.

· Mars Missions: The penultimate space mission of reaching Mars and maybe - just maybe seeing if we are alone in the cosmos.

TYPES:

A. Suborbital Flights:

Experience: Tickets holders will reach an altitude of more than 100 kilometers and experience a few minutes of weightlessness as well as panoramic views over the Earth.

Time: Flights short, about 15 to 30 minutes.

Public accessibility : A number of companies are working on suborbital vehicles but, for the moment, Virgin Galactic seems to be in front line.

Cost: At least at $200,000 to 250,00 per person.

Orbital Flights:

Mission: Passenger crew orbits Earth for a few days to view the sunrise and sunset, watch the home planet from afar,

experiments. Time: Several days to a week per flight Accessibility: Exclusive to few, for now (companies like SpaceX).

Cost: From $55million per person for multi-day stays at the International Space Station

INTRODUCTION OF PRIVATE SPACE ENTITIES:

· Virgin Galactic's founder Richard Branson and Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos soared to space on quick suborbital flights in 2021.

· In a more recent milestone, NASA gave USD 415M to three companies in order to develop commercial living spaces.

· For EXAMPLE: Blue Origin got U.S. $130 million, while Nano-racks picked up count of U.S.$160 million and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation netted $125.6 million0400 ET These advances contribute to the developing demand for space tourism, and are providing necessary infrastructure.

MARKET SIZE:

· Although a nascent industry, the demand for space travel is surging and this sector grows really quickly with expected annual growth rates of 40.2% from 2023 to 2030

· The global space tourism market grew at a CAGR of around 13.5% during 2019-2021 and is projected to attain over $8,669 million

· The sub-orbital segment emerged as the largest market in 2022, accounting for 49.3% of the overall revenue share

· The orbital segment, on the other hand is anticipated to exhibit the highest growth of 41.0% during the forecast period.

KARMAN LINE

· The Karman line is the common frontier of space.

· The line is named after the Hungarian-American engineer and physicist Theodore von Kármán (1881–1963), who was a pioneering figure in fluid dynamics, aerodynamics and astronautics.

· He calculated the first altitude at which it is impossible for human flight to fly aeronautically 83.6 km

· The Fédération Aéronautics International (FAI) defines it as the altitude of 100 kilometres above Earth's sea level.

· The FAI governs air sports and it claims stewardship of definitions regarding astronautics.

· other organizations define it differently. There is no international law or treaty which states in explicit terms where the edge of space lies, but not being a sovereign entity as such and so lacking airspace over any country, that limit is above those countries.

CHALLENGES OF SPACE TOURISM

Environmental Impact:

· Because it takes a lot of energy to launch spacecraft and rockets, this has the potential for long-term impact in exhaust gases/noise.

· These emissions can help contribute to climate change and destruction of the atmosphere.

Safety Concerns:

· There are always potential for mishaps with serious consequences even when following stringent safety protocols.

Cost:

· Image from Magazine Science Source Currently, purely space traveling is something that can only be afforded by the rich. however, the failure of many to fly will breed inequality and elitism in terms of who can travel in space.

· As per a recent paper from NASA, the private space companies SpaceX and Space Adventures intended to serve up a Moon loop for $70 million-100 mn (or around Rs 600 -850 crore).

Space Debris:

· After all, each new launch projectile leaves debris circulating in low orbit for many years; with the increase of space launches - grows to volumes.

· This debris can be dangerous to other spacecraft and even small pieces of junk can cause damage.

Resource Depletion:

· Space travel consumes a tremendous amount of resources such as energy, fuel and materials.

· The loss of these resources could have lasting impacts on the environment and lead to resource scarcity for generations yet to come.

Legal Issues:

· Space tourism liability law remains a work in progress.

· Moreover, space tourism was cited as a matter of concern involving the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.

· It is also formally known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in Exploration and Use of Outer Space nodespacedev. This is a multilateral treaty that entered into force in 1967 and serves as the foundation of international space law.

Opportunities for India in the Space Tourism Sector

ISRO's Expertise:

· An Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission, malo campaign opens another window into a successful record on ISRO space missions like the Mars Orbiter Mission [MOM], showcasing its technological qualities. That bodes well for human space missions yet to come.

· The cost-effective space programs of ISRO could provide cheaper pricing for the future and make it accessible to a wider range democratic level user.

The Public- Private Space Partnership to Flourish

· It is a welcome move as the Government of India has already shown interest in involving private parties to make its space program successful.

One of prime reasons was establishment of New Space India Limited (NSIL) by ISRO, coupled with enabling policies which drew in investments and lead innovation on this front.

· Ex: PSLV-C53 is the - inaugural dedicated commercial mission of IN-SPACe in launch service business with New Space India Limited (NSIL) as its first customer.

· Private firms, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, have successfully shown that it can be done.

Future Plans:

· Further, the ISRO is developing a reusable space tourism module for which it will charge Rs6 crore per trip and these are expected to be launched by 2030.

THE FUTURE OF SPACE TOURISM

Accessible to Wealthy:

· According to ISRO, by 2030 the space tourism will be available for upper class with average ticket it of around 6 crores. ISRO is also moving to commercialise space tourism in India soon.

Beyond Earth's Orbit:

· This way of thinking about suborbital and orbital flights is the future.

· Already companies have ambitious moon aspirations and further space expedition like mangalyaan (India), Mariner 4(NASA), ExoMars (ESA), tianwen-1(China ),hope(UAE).

Space Staycations:

· Meanwhile, space tourism itself is now being reimagined not just in its short-duration. form with companies designing habitation modules for the use of space tourists over longer periods.

Focus on Sustainability:

· with greater importance likely given to debris minimisation and the environmental potential of space exploration being far more sustainable than ever before in solving some long-term problems for humanity, fully reusable rockets will come into focus.