In 2001, Dennis Tito became the first privately funded astronaut. His voyage, brokered with Roscosmos, saw him spend nearly 8 days on the International Space Station before he returned in a Russian Soyuz capsule. This exact trip was repeated a couple more times by some other wealthy individuals over the next decade, but for a while, it seemed that there was no innovation occurring. That is because all of these early space tourism missions, though they relied on private funding, were identical to government missions in most other ways, including training, destination, and transport.
In recent years, however, this has begun to change dramatically. Last year, SpaceX successfully launched their Dragon Crew Capsule into orbit, and although it was carrying NASA astronauts, it was clear from the beginning that the company had more than just governmental passengers in mind. And it's hard to forget the mini-space race that occurred earlier this year when Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos flew to suborbital space in spacecraft designed by their own companies. Combined with the intent that companies like Axiom Space have expressed in building private space stations, it is clear that a new era in space is beginning, but what remains less clear is whether this era will ever move on from the ultra-wealthy. This point of contention, however, has a simple answer.
Whether we like it or not, the current billionaire phase of space tourism is ultimately a necessary step towards unlocking greater public access to space. In the past, a similar situation played out with the progression of aviation, and current private space companies have already taken the first steps towards expanding beyond a billionaire base. But even if these two observations turn out to be incorrect, there is another unavoidable truth that the commercial space industry will have to face: the exclusivity of space travel is not sustainable.
In recent years, however, this has begun to change dramatically. Last year, SpaceX successfully launched their Dragon Crew Capsule into orbit, and although it was carrying NASA astronauts, it was clear from the beginning that the company had more than just governmental passengers in mind. And it's hard to forget the mini-space race that occurred earlier this year when Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos flew to suborbital space in spacecraft designed by their own companies. Combined with the intent that companies like Axiom Space have expressed in building private space stations, it is clear that a new era in space is beginning, but what remains less clear is whether this era will ever move on from the ultra-wealthy. This point of contention, however, has a simple answer.
Whether we like it or not, the current billionaire phase of space tourism is ultimately a necessary step towards unlocking greater public access to space. In the past, a similar situation played out with the progression of aviation, and current private space companies have already taken the first steps towards expanding beyond a billionaire base. But even if these two observations turn out to be incorrect, there is another unavoidable truth that the commercial space industry will have to face: the exclusivity of space travel is not sustainable.
When the Wright brothers achieved the first heavier than air flight in 1903, most people were skeptical that aviation would ever take off in any meaningful way. Interest in flight was limited at best, and the brothers had to pursue technological development for the next few years. However, by the time of the First World War, the winds of change were in the air, and the first hints began to emerge that flight had a future beyond air shows and aerobatics. In 1914, the first regular airline operations began in the US, and although it was a short-lived endeavour, it showed that the general public was open to the idea of passenger flights.
However, to keep this interest afloat, more innovation was required. As a result, the next decade saw numerous incremental improvements in things like efficiency and design, which ultimately culminated in Charles Lindbergh's successful trans-Atlantic flight in 1927. Not only did this flight win him the $25,000 Orteig Prize, but it also proved that airplanes had practical uses. Where ships took weeks, planes could do it in hours.
The only barrier that remained was technology, but even this hurdle was short-lived as World War II brought about a period of rapid innovation that shot airplanes to speeds in the excess of Mach 1 with the newly invented jet engine. Seeing airplanes in action during this time increased government confidence in aviation, but it also left a huge impression on the general public. It is no coincidence that the first passenger jetliner, the de Havilland Comet, entered service just after the war ended, and although it was an exclusive service available only to the ultra-rich, it was the first step towards mass-market aviation. And just like that, the jet-age began.
Since then, air travel has become much more affordable to the point where currently, more than 100,000 flights take off and land every single day all around the world. So even though aviation began as a niche market for governments and the ultra-rich, these initial customers indirectly brought flight to the masses, and there is nothing to suggest that the same will not occur for spaceflight.
The take-off of private spaceflight in the 21st century largely began in 2004 when SpaceShipOne captured the $10 million Ansari X Prize for becoming the first privately-funded, reusable crewed spacecraft to fly above 100 kilometres in altitude twice within two weeks. If this sounds similar to the Orteig Prize that Lindbergh won in 1927, that’s because it is. In fact, the X Prize was modelled after aviation incentives that acted as a kick-starter to emerging flight technologies in the early 20th century.
Although the SpaceShipOne program did not continue beyond the X Prize for long, its successor, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, was only possible because of this initial incentive. SpaceShipTwo’s development also indirectly impacted the creation of other private space tourism projects, such as Blue Origin’s New Shepard programme. Additionally, some companies like SpaceX have turned their focus towards colonization, while others have set their sights on creating tourism destinations in Earth orbit.
One thing these companies all have in common, however, is their initial target audience: the ultra-wealthy. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Unfortunately, much of the attention towards the three space tourism flights this year has been focused not on the tremendous innovation at play, but on the billionaire passengers they have carried. Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and, to a lesser extent, Jared Isaacman have been reduced to the role of “rich thrill-seekers”, which, while true to a degree, fails to capture the true scope of their voyages.
If history has told us anything, it is that initial investment by the upper class of society is not only the natural first step for an emerging industry, but it is also a necessity to make prices more affordable in the future. It occurred with cars, it occurred with airplanes, and it occurred with computers. The same will be true for spaceflight, and it's all because of the tremendous cost associated with technological innovation.
It is almost guaranteed that when you or I fly to space, it will not be onboard the same vehicles flying today. Instead, it will be on a new generation of spacecraft that are safer and more capable than anything that exists right now. However, developing such spacecraft will take money, and that is something that only the ultra-wealthy will be able to provide.
So while it may not sound pleasant to state that billionaires are paving the way for widespread access to space, it is an unavoidable step that must be accepted if humanity is to become a spacefaring species. It may be decades, or an entire century before this reality comes true, but the journey has already begun, and it will only become more inclusive from here.
However, the question of whether or not space travel is a worthy endeavour despite the challenges here on Earth is another debate entirely, one with its own nuances that will have to be explored some other day.
Sources & Further Reading
World Economic Forum Aviation Data