Space Tourism in India, Types, Ongoing Projects, Challenges

Entrepreneur and pilot Gopi Thotakura become first Indian to venture into space as a tourist. Check Out Space Tourism in India, Types, Ongoing Projects, Pros and Cons of Space Tourism.

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Context: Entrepreneur and pilot Gopi Thotakura is set to become the first Indian to venture into space as a tourist on the NS-25 mission of Blue Origin — a company founded by Jeff Bezos. Gopi Thotakura, along with five other space tourists, made a short recreational trip to space.

About the Recent Space Journey

Spacecraft: Thotakura flew aboard Blue Origin’s spacecraft.
Duration: The journey lasted about ten minutes.
Altitude: The spacecraft reached a maximum height of approximately 105 km from Earth.
Experience: Passengers experienced weightlessness and observed Earth from space.
Nature of the Journey
- Sub-Orbital Flight: The flight crossed the Karman line (100 km altitude) but did not enter orbit.
- Quick Trip: It was one of the shortest and quickest space trips.

What is Space Tourism?

Space tourism refers to the commercial activity of sending private individuals into space for recreational, leisure, or adventure purposes. This sector has seen significant growth due to advancements in space technology and the entry of private companies.

Key Players and Milestones

Blue Origin: Founded by Jeff Bezos, offers sub-orbital flights.
Virgin Galactic: Founded by Richard Branson, also provides sub-orbital space flights.
SpaceX: Founded by Elon Musk, aims for orbital flights and beyond, including potential missions to the Moon and Mars.
Other Notable Companies: Companies like Space Adventures and balloon-based high-altitude flight providers.

Definition: Space tourism encompasses providing tourists with the opportunity to venture into space, either for leisure, recreation, or business purposes.

Types of Space Tourism

There are two primary types of space tourism:

Sub-orbital Flights: Passengers are taken just beyond the Kármán line, spending a few minutes in outer space before returning to Earth. Examples include Blue Origin’s New Shepard missions.
Orbital Flights: Passengers travel much further, spending days or even weeks at altitudes of around 1.3 million feet. Space X’s Falcon 9 mission in September 2021 is an example of orbital space tourism.

Karman Line

Definition: The Kármán line is an imaginary boundary used to define the border between outer space and Earth’s atmosphere.
Altitude: It is typically set at an altitude of approximately 62 miles (or 100 kilometers).
Origin: Named after Hungarian American engineer and physicist Theodore von Kármán.
Fluid Boundary: The line is neither sharp nor well-defined, but it is often taken to encircle Earth at an altitude between 80 to 100 km (50 to 62 miles) above mean sea level.
Scientific Assessment: Von Kármán assessed the distance from Earth at which aircraft could no longer rely on the force of lift for staying aloft, arriving at a figure close to 84 km (52 miles).
Historical Dispute: The exact altitude varies; other figures include 80 km and 100 km.

Deep Space Missions: Future plans include trips around the Moon and potentially to Mars. These are more complex and require significant training and preparation.

Space Tourism Features

Space tourism is a recreational activity where private citizens pay to travel into space for a short time in a spacecraft operated by a private aerospace company. Space tourism involves aspects of space transportation, manned space flight, and commercialization of outer space. Space tourism can be categorized into two types:

Suborbital Space Tourism

Involves flying to the edge of space and experiencing weightlessness for a short period. Companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin offer suborbital space tourism flights.

Orbital Space Tourism

Involves traveling into orbit around the Earth and spending a few days in space. SpaceX plans to launch an orbital flight with a private citizen in 2023.

Factors that influence the emergence of space tourism include demand, ticket cost, motivation and risk, health risk, and policy. Space tourism can harm the environment because launching rockets and spacecraft requires a lot of energy and can produce significant amounts of air and noise pollution. These emissions can contribute to climate change and harm the atmosphere.

Pros of Space Tourism

Technological Advancement: Drives innovation in space technology, leading to improvements in spacecraft design, safety, and efficiency.
Economic Growth: Generates revenue and creates jobs in the aerospace and tourism sectors. Stimulates investments in related industries.
Public Engagement: Increases public interest and awareness of space exploration. Inspires the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers.
International Collaboration: Encourages cooperation between countries and private companies in space exploration and technology development.
Scientific Research: Provides opportunities for scientific experiments and research in microgravity environments.

Cons of Space Tourism

Environmental Impact: Launches contribute to atmospheric pollution and carbon emissions. Potential for space debris accumulation.
High Costs: Currently accessible only to the wealthy, creating a disparity in opportunities for space travel.
Safety Risks: Inherent risks associated with space travel, including potential for accidents and exposure to harmful space radiation.
Resource Allocation: Significant financial and material resources are required, which could be argued to be better spent on pressing issues on Earth.
Regulatory Challenges: Developing and enforcing regulations to ensure the safety and sustainability of space tourism is complex and still evolving.

Examples and Recent Developments in Space Tourism

Gopi Thotakura’s Flight: The first Indian space tourist, flew with Blue Origin on May 19, 2024.
Historical Flights: Dennis Tito, the first space tourist, spent over seven days on the ISS in 2001. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s 12-day ISS trip in 2021.
Commercial Operations: Virgin Galactic’s first commercial flight in August 2023, Blue Origin’s seven flights carrying 37 tourists to date.
Future Prospects: SpaceX’s plans for orbital flights and missions around the Moon and Mars, alongside other companies aiming for similar deep space missions.

Space Tourism Ongoing Projects

Project	Description	Status
Axiom Space	Utilizes SpaceX’s Crew Dragon flights to send crews to the International Space Station (ISS). Mission 1 flew in April 2022, Mission 2 in May 2023, and Mission 3 in January 2024. The fourth mission is planned for October 2024. Aims to create a non-NASA market for human spaceflight for future commercial space stations.	Ongoing
Boeing Starliner	Developed under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Boeing sells seats for space tourists. The proposal includes one seat per flight for a spaceflight participant at a competitive price with Roscosmos charges.	Ongoing development
Polaris Program	Initiated by Jared Isaacman, commander, and financier of Inspiration4 mission. Comprises three missions. Polaris Dawn, the first mission, plans to launch four private astronauts in a Crew Dragon spacecraft to earth orbit. Aims to surpass the earth orbit altitude record set by Gemini XI and include the first private Extravehicular activity (EVA).	Ongoing

Challenges in Space Tourism

Cost Barrier: Space tourism remains prohibitively expensive, with tickets typically costing at least a million dollars, making it inaccessible to the majority.
Environmental Impact: Studies suggest that space tourism could contribute to environmental damage, as rockets emit gaseous and solid chemicals directly into the upper atmosphere. Research from University College London (UCL), the University of Cambridge, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) highlights the warming effects of soot emissions from rocket launches.
Safety Concerns: Despite stringent safety standards, space tourism poses inherent risks. Statistics indicate that approximately 3% of astronauts have died during space flight, underscoring safety as a paramount concern.

Space Tourism FAQs

What is the space tourism?

Space tourism is another niche segment of the aviation industry that seeks to give tourists the ability to become astronauts and experience space travel for recreational, leisure, or business purposes.

Who discovered space tourism?

Since the flight of the world's first space tourist, American businessman Dennis Tito, on April 28, 2001, space tourism has gained new prominence as more suborbital and orbital tourism opportunities have become available.

How important is space tourism?

There are a few scientific benefits of space tourism, though the most recent flights were perhaps not long enough to offer too much insight. When, in the future, we see longer space flights, we'll have the opportunity to study long-term physiological changes in humans as a result of being in space.