New luxury destination:
becoming the new luxury destination – Space is one of the areas of deep interest and curiosity of mankind. Space travel has fascinated humans for thousands of years. In the 20th century, the development of science and new inventions made it possible for people to realize that long-held dream.
At that time, however, space travel had become a symbol of political and ideological prestige for superpowers. The United States and the former Soviet Union then entered into a battle for supremacy in space travel. Both sides have spent billions of dollars on space programs while becoming the new luxury destination. In this effort, man first set foot on the moon.
That time has passed though. The pressure on state funding for space research has eased. At this time, the private sector has come forward to fill the gap in space research. Several entrepreneurs have worked to make human’s long-held dream of space travel a reality. Two wealthy businessmen have raised the prospect of commercial space travel this month. One is British billionaire Richard Branson and the other is American businessman Jeff Bezos.
On July 11, a spacecraft called Virgin Galactic carrying Richard Branson returned safely to Earth after a journey to the edge of space. Unity-22 spacecraft flew at a speed of more than 3,000 kilometers per hour during the one-hour journey. Meanwhile, the six passengers of the rocket experienced weightlessness for several minutes. After the trip, Branson said the test flight would usher in a new era of space tourism. This type of tourism is expected to start commercially next year.
He has been trying to launch commercial space travel since 2004. The trip was supposed to launch in 2007, but the initiative was halted midway after a deadly rocket explosion. He said, I have had a hobby of space travel since childhood, I hope that millions of people can travel in space in the next 100 years. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has returned from a short trip to space in his rocket ship New Shepard. This is the first crewed flight on his rocket ship. He was accompanied on the journey by his brother Mark Bezos, 82-year-old Wally Funk, a pioneer in the space race, and an 18-year-old student. They traveled in a capsule with large windows that allowed them to enjoy a stunning view of the world. At the end of the journey, the capsule returned to earth after only 10 minutes and 10 seconds. Bezos’ company Blue Origin developed the rocket called New Shepard. It is designed to meet the growing market demand for space tourism.
The journey of these two businessmen created a new opportunity for space travel. It will help fulfill the dream of being an astronaut. Which was only possible for professional scientists and aviators until now. But analysts say those who want to travel to space will have to be quite wealthy. Each ticket to experience a few minutes in space will cost 250,000 US dollars while becoming the new luxury destination.
More than 8,000 people have already reserved tickets to ride Branson’s Virgin Galactic into space. On the other hand, more than 7,600 people want to go to space through Blue Origin. They have already registered. Many have also deposited money. Analysts say the space travel business could grow from $350 billion to $2.7 trillion by 2040.
Earlier, a Soviet-era Soyuz-class spacecraft would have cost two and a half million dollars to send someone into space. And the number of such people was also few. From 2001 to 2009, the number of such passengers was only seven.
In conclusion of becoming the new luxury destination But now the two companies want to provide space travel at 100 times less cost than that. But still how many people can go with so much money. Rather, many people think that it will be a ‘joyride’ of very rich people. Critics say the money could be spent on raising workers’ wages or fighting climate change.