A New Era: Space Travel

The same transformation is now underway in the realm of space travel. This shift is primarily attributed to Elon Musk, a billionaire innovator known for his ventures with Tesla.

In just 14 years, Musk's SpaceX has disrupted the global launch industry by achieving what was once deemed impossible: routinely reusing rockets, allowing boosters to return and land vertically; developing powerful engines at unprecedented speeds and costs; and passing those savings onto consumers.

Historically, from 1970 to 2000, launching payloads into space averaged about $18,500 per kilogram. However, when SpaceX launched Falcon 1 in 2008, they charged only $9,930 per kilogram, marking a 46% decrease in launch costs. Today, this figure has plummeted an additional 72% to just $2,720 per kilogram, thanks to the advancements of the Falcon 9 rocket. This has prompted other aerospace companies to innovate and reduce their own costs.

The space sector is now teeming with new startups. In 2021, over $15 billion was invested in 241 companies, an increase from the previous year’s record of $7.7 billion. Many of these companies are focusing on satellite constellations in low Earth orbit to meet the surging demand for broadband Internet, navigation services, and real-time environmental monitoring. The industry is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.6% and reach a value of $558 billion by 2026.

The Changing Landscape of Space Data Collection

“Previously, satellite data collection was primarily the domain of governments and large corporations due to the high costs associated with launching a satellite,” explains Andy Koronios, CEO of SmartSat CRC, a consortium dedicated to developing space technologies. “Today, launching is a thousand times cheaper than it was 15 years ago, and you can now obtain a thousand times more computing power in a compact device.”

The landscape has shifted from predominantly government-operated launch companies, like Arianespace and Roscosmos, to a burgeoning number of commercial enterprises. Currently, nine companies are actively launching payloads into space, with another 14 in development, supported by over $2.3 billion in venture capital, aiming for launches by 2025.

SpaceX dominates this market, achieving one-fifth of the world's orbital launches in 2021 with 31 missions. This number increased significantly by July 2022, as SpaceX aimed for 52 launches within the year. Notably, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule became the first privately funded vehicle to reach orbit, transporting NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

In total, there have been seven NASA missions to the ISS using Crew Dragon, with the groundbreaking 'Inspiration4' mission marking the first civilian orbital flight. In September 2021, billionaire Jared Isaacman and three others orbited Earth for two days, raising $243 million for St. Jude's Research Hospital.

The Future of Commercial Space Stations

Following Inspiration4, Axiom Space conducted Axiom 1, a private mission to the ISS led by former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría. Axiom Space aims to create the first commercial space station, planning to add components to the ISS starting in 2024, which will eventually evolve into a standalone orbiting facility.

However, SpaceX isn’t the only player in this arena. Virgin Galactic, founded by Richard Branson, successfully launched him into space in July 2021, followed closely by Jeff Bezos, who flew aboard his Blue Origin New Shepard rocket.

Blue Origin, established by Bezos in 2000, has been developing a series of new rockets. New Shepard is designed for suborbital flights, enabling tourists to experience weightlessness and view Earth from space. This rocket has already completed six flights, taking 31 passengers into the great beyond.

The Unique Experience of Space Tourism

Virgin Galactic's approach involves a spaceplane, which is released from a larger aircraft at high altitude. Once detached, the spaceplane ignites its rocket engine, propelling itself into space at incredible speeds, allowing passengers to experience weightlessness before safely returning to Earth.

Virgin Galactic is currently working on a fleet of five larger spaceplanes to accommodate tourists, with plans for 400 flights annually by 2026. Although the costs for such experiences are high—around $450,000 for a Virgin Galactic flight and $55 million for Axiom’s ISS stay—there’s potential for prices to decrease over time.

Historically, the costs of air travel were similarly steep when commercial aviation began. For instance, in the 1930s, a one-way ticket from New York to Marseille would amount to approximately $7,994 in today’s currency. Today, the same journey costs only about $171. As aviation technology improved and ticket prices dropped, air travel became widely accessible to the general public.

[Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959) - YouTube]

This classic film explores the whimsical possibilities of space travel and its future.

[Starship | Earth to Earth - YouTube]

This video showcases SpaceX's vision for rapid intercontinental travel using the Starship spacecraft.

The Potential of SpaceX's Starship

SpaceX's Starship represents a groundbreaking innovation—a fully reusable spacecraft designed for high-capacity, rapid-turnaround missions. Standing at 120 meters tall, it boasts more than double the thrust of NASA's Saturn V rocket, capable of transporting 100 tonnes to orbit or up to 800 passengers in a single journey.

Musk envisions using Starship not only for interplanetary missions but also for rapid Earth-to-Earth travel. This could enable suborbital flights across vast distances in under an hour, such as Sydney to Singapore in 31 minutes or London to Hong Kong in 34 minutes. Unlike traditional aircraft, which must navigate through the atmosphere, Starship would soar above it, traveling through the vacuum of space at high speeds before landing vertically.

The experience of suborbital flight is expected to be far more thrilling than conventional air travel, potentially becoming accessible to a wider audience over time. If today there are six million people in the air at any moment, it’s not unreasonable to envision a future where millions are embarking on space journeys each year.

William Shatner's Emotional Return from Space

As the prospect of space travel becomes more mainstream, it may eventually lose its novelty, just as air travel has. However, the transformative perspective offered by even a brief encounter with space remains profound. As William Shatner expressed after his own journey, “I’m filled with emotion. It’s extraordinary. Everyone in the world should experience this.”

This ambitious vision for space travel continues to evolve, promising a future where the boundaries of our world are redefined.