Space Tourism: Coming Soon to a Spaceport Near You
Space Tourism: Coming Soon to a Spaceport Near You
Are you going space?
In the next decade, space travel will no longer be the exclusive rite of passage for astronauts, scientists, and the outrageously wealthy. Commercial space tourism is already valued at $450 billion and is projected to reach $1 trillion by the year 2040. With that kind of money being thrown around, we expect some big developments in the next few years.
But not all space is created equal. There are three categories of space travel: suborbital, orbital, and extra planetary. Each promises a very different experience for passengers, so before you start saving up, we want to give you some idea of what they’ll likely entail.
Suborbital Space Flight
Looking for a profound space experience, but unwilling to invest a lot of time? Suborbital space travel is right for you.
From a physics standpoint, it is the equivalent of shooting a bullet straight into the air: it travels far and fast before falling back to earth. How fast, you ask? To date, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin space rockets have successfully completed suborbital flights at Mach 3, or about 2,200 mph, which is only a little bit faster than the Concorde.
However, it is fast enough for passengers to endure Mach 3 g-forces. That’s what a pilot would experience going all-out in a modern fighter jet. The four Italian air force passengers of this Virgin Galactic flight look like they’re taking lamaze breaths, so we can safely assume the ascent and descent are about as pleasant as giving birth.
All that said, the payoff does seem worth the pain. The reactions of Blue Origin’s passengers to seeing Earth from space are genuinely moving. Odds are that as technology advances, physicists, engineers and designers will discover ways to offload g-forces, making the experience accessible to people of all ages.
Suborbital space flight will become akin to the world’s most expensive amusement park ride. The experience itself is short-lived (lasting only 10-15 minutes) but the adrenaline rush, the view, and the bragging rights will make the experience worth it.
Orbital Space Flight
Are you interested in something more like a space cruise around Earth? We recommend orbital space flight.
The international space station is the best example of this, traveling approx. 17,500 mph according to the Kennedy Space Center. The biggest difference would be, of course, the ISS was made to remain perpetually in orbit, whereas a spaceship would ideally return to earth. As they reentered the atmosphere, passengers would experience Mach 25, which would probably leave most people comatose.
The g-force issue is definitely the biggest challenge for orbital space flight, but it’s not the only challenge. Tourists will want to see majestic space vistas, but windows are going to present an enormous design and engineering challenge. Will there be Wifi in space, or will passengers be forced to unplug? What about food? Odds are no one will not be eating 5-star cuisine in zero gravity. What about safety protocols? Will there be escape pods on board? Will there be some kind of air marshal on each flight? There are quite a few details that will need to be hammered out before Bezos starts selling star cruise tickets.
Much like the first few decades of commercial flying, orbital space flight will likely be...well, uncomfortable. Passengers used to endure cold, loud trips in unpressurized cabins, but they were willing to pay top dollar and bear the discomfort because commercial flight was still a novel, exciting experience. We think orbital space flight will follow the same course. In the end, each problem solved will bring humanity a step closer to the next category of space flight: extra planetary.
Extra Planetary Space Flight
Though Elon Musk wants to go to Mars, odds are the first extra-planetary flights, real estate, and attractions will be on the moon, which is much further from Earth than most people believe. These space flights require commitment -- we’re talking years, maybe even a lifetime.
For this to be possible, scientists, engineers, designers, politicians, etc. will have to consider many of the aforementioned problems facing orbital flight, only with the added challenge of crew and passengers remaining on board for years at a time. Not only that, but there is the very real problem of simply building a ship fast enough to reach a planet in a reasonable amount of time. Ships would need to escape velocity at 25,000mph. That’s Mach 50, and it is insanely fast.
The moon will likely be a destination for only the very wealthy for a time (and for the people they hire). Crypto-scammers will absolutely be the first ones to build homes there. Moon-settlers will need to build and maintain structures with material only found on Earth; if you think imported bespoke materials are expensive here, just think what they would cost there. Still, you know Disneyland Luna will be a thing there sooner or later -- and we’re willing to bet people will be willing to wait for years for an experience like that.
What does the future of space flight mean for industrial design
The possibilities are endless for industrial designers interested in space flight. Our studio has worked in the aerospace industry for years, and we can’t wait for an opportunity to help design the interior of the next Virgin Galactic or New Shephard space rocket.
Are you or your company headed into orbit?
Let us know on LinkedIn or Facebook. For more information about us, you can read our blog, check out our design process, or contact us directly.