Commercial space flights – the dream becomes a reality

August 1, 2021

Walking in space is a dream for almost every person, regardless of age. Until the first moon landing in 1969, this vision seemed unattainable. However, technological advances have changed our perception of spaceflight, opening it up to… civilians. We have entered a new era of space exploration. We are witnessing that even non-experienced astronauts are now able to take a short trip around the globe.

What is commercial space flight?

The word "commercial" is not accidental here. It means giving the green light to civilians who lack the experience of professional astronauts. There's a catch – this type of space tourism is quite expensive, and purchasing a "ticket" involves significant costs, so currently only the wealthiest can afford space travel.

Who is involved in space tourism?

Contrary to appearances, it's not just Americans who engage in space tourism, although that's where the majority of spaceports are located. The industry that powers commercial spaceflight is concentrated around locations such as:

California,
Oklahoma,
New Mexico,
Florida,
Virginia,
Wisconsin,
Alaska,
Esrange (Sweden),
Singapore,
United Arab Emirates.

To popularize commercial spaceflight, some companies are offering customers more accessible suborbital flights.

What does a suborbital flight look like? A trip, or rather a cruise, involves launching a suborbital vehicle above the Earth's surface. At an altitude of 100 to 160 kilometers above Earth, it "orbits" Earth's orbit for several hours. During this time, passengers:

experience weightlessness for a short period of time, from 3 to 6 minutes,
they can look at the stars (at this altitude there is no twinkling of the celestial spheres),
have the opportunity to admire the curvature of the Earth.

Why are commercial flights becoming more popular?

For a simple reason – finances. Spaceflight isn't cheap these days; even "expensive" is an understatement. Hence the widespread availability of suborbital travel, which offers a foretaste of what can be experienced during a multi-day "trip" in space. Suborbital flights cost around $200,000 per trip, a small fraction of the larger undertaking of spaceflight.

What is SpaceX and what is worth knowing about it?

SpaceX (or more precisely, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) is an American space company. Founded in 2002, the company is founded by billionaire Elon Musk. The corporation's primary mission is to build rocket engines, launch vehicles, and spacecraft, including commercial spacecraft.

Elon Musk has always dreamed of exploring Mars. He believes our time on Earth is entering its final phase and drawing to a close. Environmental degradation, climate change, and overpopulation all mean that in the near future, we will begin to lack space and resources. Hence the idea of colonizing Mars—Musk wants to create a self-sufficient "city of the future" there. However, this vision is currently quite difficult to achieve due to the very high costs of space travel.

The popularization of space tourism could significantly impact the price of space flights, reducing it by up to a thousand times compared to today's costs, according to Musk.

Thus, space travel will also be available to ordinary mortals. By "ordinary," we still mean wealthy people who are not astronauts.

SpaceX and the first commercial space flight

In May 2020, SpaceX completed a private, crewed space flight. Tickets for four people were purchased by billionaire Jared Isaacman, the 37-year-old founder of Shift4 (a payment processing company and the creator of a military jet pilot training center). The mission was named Inspiration4.

What does such a flight look like? To launch, a rocket must be launched. For the Inspiratio4 mission, the Falcon 9 rocket was chosen, launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Dragon spacecraft then carried the space tourists into orbit.

Space Tourist – Who is He?

According to Musk, a candidate for spaceflight must be of legal age and a US citizen. Of course, as part of the preparation process, amateur astronauts' general health is also checked to prevent unauthorized individuals from flying. During the flight, the astronauts experience weightlessness and are subjected to varying pressures, which may not be easy for everyone.

People who purchase tickets to space are called space tourists. However, many consider this term inaccurate, and some even derogatory. This is especially true for the first civilian travelers, who conducted numerous research and experiments during their flights.

There were many ideas, including "private space explorer." Ultimately, the increasingly common terminology for commercial space flights is "space flight participant.".