[Reading Science] Billionaires' New Vacation Spot is 'Space'... A Pipe Dream for the General Public

Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Galactic, to Travel to Space on the Morning of the 11th
Jeff Bezos, Amazon Chairman, Also Boarding Space Rocket on the 20th
Elon Musk Actively Promotes Private Travel to the Moon, ISS, Mars via SpaceX
Costs at Least Hundreds of Millions of Won, Still Out of Reach for the General Public

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] In the era of 'New Space,' competition among billionaires to open the era of commercial space travel is fierce. Among them, Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic and a British billionaire, will make the first launch and head to space on the 11th (Eastern Time, USA). However, even when space travel begins, the cost will range from hundreds of millions to billions of Korean won, making it a 'pipe dream' for the general public for the time being.

◇ Competition Among Billionaires

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to space-specialized media Space.com, Virgin Galactic plans to launch the spaceship SpaceShipTwo for the first time at 9 a.m. on this day, carrying a total of four passengers including Chairman Branson and two pilots. SpaceShipTwo is carried by Virgin Galactic’s carrier VMS Eve to about 15 km altitude and then launched into space. It then ascends to about 90 km altitude under its own propulsion and subsequently free-falls. This so-called suborbital spaceplane allows passengers to enjoy a few minutes of weightlessness while viewing space and Earth. Virgin Galactic has built 'Spaceport America,' an airport-like facility in New Mexico for this business, and the space travel process, expected to last about 90 minutes, will be broadcast live on the internet. Virgin Galactic plans to fully commercialize space tourism afterward. Tickets cost $250,000 per person, but hundreds, including actor Brad Pitt, have already purchased them, and thousands are on the waiting list. Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004 to commercialize space travel. Although he initially promised the first space trip in 2020, it was delayed due to accidents in 2007 and 2014, including fatal incidents.

◇ Bezos Is Going Too

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Another competitor, Jeff Bezos, chairman of Amazon.com, will head to space on the 20th. Bezos plans to board 'New Shepard,' launched by his space travel commercialization company Blue Origin, on the 52nd anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing. This spacecraft uses a ballistic rocket flight method, where a capsule carrying up to six space tourists is carried by a rocket to an altitude of 76 km, then separates and ascends to 100 km altitude by inertia before free-falling, allowing tourists to view space and Earth. Bezos will board with his brother Mark Bezos and others. Notably, one passenger whose identity remains undisclosed will accompany them; this passenger reportedly paid $28 million for the trip, attracting attention. Blue Origin has not revealed this passenger’s identity. The ticket price for Blue Origin’s space travel has not been disclosed but is known to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range.

◇ Musk Aims for Mars

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Elon Musk, the eccentric genius and founder of Tesla, has even grander dreams. Since founding the private space company SpaceX in 2012, he has invested heavily in space development. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule are currently the most cost-effective spacecraft worldwide. He is developing a spaceship equipped with a super-powerful engine for Mars exploration but has faced difficulties with about ten explosion accidents. SpaceX plans to launch lunar travel products starting in 2023, as well as low Earth orbit travel products. Japanese artist Yusaku Maezawa is known as the first passenger, attracting attention. Additionally, SpaceX is developing a product to send tourists to the International Space Station (ISS) in cooperation with NASA. In this regard, NASA held a press conference in June two years ago, announcing plans to accommodate private space tourists on the ISS. Musk has also challenged to build a city with a population of 80,000 on Mars by 2050.

◇ Who Will Be the First Ordinary Space Tourist?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the first private space tourist was actually American billionaire Dennis Tito. Tito, who worked as an engineer at NASA and became a billionaire through business success, paid $20 million to the Russian Federal Space Agency in April 2001 and boarded Soyuz TM-32, becoming the first private individual to visit the ISS. He stayed for 7 days, 22 hours, and 4 minutes before safely returning to Earth. Since then, Russia has contracted with the American space tourism company Space Adventures to accept seven private tourists, including Canadian billionaire Guy Lalibert?, to the ISS. British world-renowned popera singer Sarah Brightman planned to be the eighth space tourist and perform in space but reportedly gave up during training.

◇ At Least Hundreds of Millions of Won, 70 Billion Won for ISS Visit

Although commercial space tourism is becoming more active, it still remains a 'pipe dream' for ordinary people. Even suborbital trips, which last only a few minutes and offer a taste of space, require at least hundreds of thousands of dollars. As mentioned earlier, Virgin Galactic charges $250,000 per person, and Blue Origin’s fees are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range. Currently, the cost to launch a spacecraft once is around 100 billion Korean won. Astronomical costs are inevitable for those who want to enjoy space travel. NASA and SpaceX revealed plans for private access to the ISS, stating that round-trip costs are 68.8 billion won ($58 million), and the cost per night is 42.2 million won ($35,000).

In this context, plans for 'alternative' space hotels have also been announced. The American space company Orion Span announced the 'Aurora Station' project in 2018, which involves launching a space hotel measuring 13.3 meters in length and 4.3 meters in width. The plan is for two crew members and four passengers to experience space for 12 days in orbit at about 320 km altitude. However, the cost is $9.5 million (about 11 billion Korean won). German company PC-Aero is developing a solar-powered airplane (Solar Stratos) that travels about 24 km high in the stratosphere for about 15 minutes, targeting a niche market.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.