What Could Space Tourism Look Like?
By Space Coast Daily // November 16, 2023
Space holds a special place in the hearts of many people around the world, whether it’s from watching the first launch and moon landing back in the day, or the excitement that modern space travel has brought with Space X, NASA’s incredible achievements with the Mars landers, or even Blue Origin and what they’re looking to achieve with commercial travel.
Space features prominently in a huge amount of modern media from game these at Limitless Casino, to some of the biggest movies we watch, and even into our music too. In this post, we’ll look through our minds eye into something of a science fiction novel and imagine what the future of space tourism could look like.
(Image from The New York Times)
Suborbital Flights
Suborbital flights, in which spacecraft fly just beyond the Earth’s atmosphere before descending to the surface, are anticipated to be used in the early stages of space tourism. Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are at the vanguard of this movement, creating spaceships that will provide passengers with a few minutes of weightlessness and stunning vistas of Earth from the edge of space. Suborbital flights provide an opportunity to experience space travel without the considerable training required for orbital missions.
Luxurious Orbital Hotels
The concept of orbital hotels is emerging as a possibility as technology progresses and space travel becomes more common. These space hotels would orbit the Earth, giving visitors unrivalled views of our world. Axiom Space and Orbital Assembly Corporation, for example, are investigating the building of commercial space stations that might function as elegant accommodations. Consider taking a vacation in a space hotel, enjoying zero gravity and viewing breathtaking sunrises and sunsets from space.
Lunar Adventures
Beyond Earth’s orbit, the moon retains a lot of appeal for space tourism. With its ambitious Starship project, companies like SpaceX hope to make lunar travel a reality. Tourists could be able to orbit the moon, view Earthrises from space, and possibly even set foot on the lunar surface thanks to lunar expeditions. First things first we have to go back to the moon which isn’t in the distant future, but a successful return could open up this possibility.
Mars Expeditions
The concept of space tourism stretches even further to Mars. Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, envisions a future in which people can travel to Mars. While Mars tourism remains a long-term aim with considerable technological and logistical obstacles, the prospect of visiting another planet piques people’s interest. Consider travelling to Mars’ surface, discovering its sceneries, and experiencing the hardships and wonders of life on another celestial globe.
Training Centers for Aspiring Space Tourists
As the sector grows, we may see the construction of training centres where potential space tourists can receive the essential space travel preparation. These centres might imitate zero-gravity situations, offer space travel education, and give physical training to prepare people for the hardships of spaceflight. This strategy has the potential to democratise access to space, allowing a greater range of people to engage on space adventures.
For now, this all remains but a future dream firmly seated in science fiction, and that’s exactly what many of us will need to rely on in the meantime as much of this speculation is a very long way off. The fact it can even be considered a possibility today, something that can’t be said for decades past, is enough to keep interest growing however, and enough to at least increase hopes, if not for us but for the younger generation that may yet get to experience the final frontier.