New spacecraft expands the possibilities of the space tourism market
Transport design studio PriestmanGoode, in collaboration with the space tourism agency Space Perspective, has generated a new spacecraft prototype capable of comfortably transporting humans to the edge of space.
To see a simulation of the trip, watch this video:
Many companies are gearing up for what they plan to be a soon outbreak of the private space travel trade. Space tourism is an area in which many companies are currently speculating and investing, as they want to be part of what is a millions-dollar market that is expected to explode in the coming decades, reaching the incredible sum of USD 2190.8 million by the end of 2026(1)
One of these currently existing companies is Space Adventures, who have specialized in the private space travel trade and has so far led more than six trips with “private” astronauts and totaled more than 30 million miles in space. By “private astronauts” is understood millionaires capable of paying their way out into space through a new conduit, which is the private market.
Historically, space travels were associated with governmental or intergovernmental scientific exploration missions. These ones led by scientists trained for exclusively scientific purposes. Just people with a high standard of scientific preparation were able to be part of these missions and the training required for that could sometimes take a lifetime of preparation. A flight to space for private proposes and with people without long scientific training was simply unthinkable.
To date, most outer space exploration missions still fall into this category. But this trend has begun to slowly change in recent years, with newborn cooperations between government, their space agencies, and private companies, the latter targeting a possible development of the space tourism market or the private exploitation of space resources.
This speculation has been corroborated in recent years, with the private space exploration market having accumulated millions of dollars in recent decades and having a peak of its development with the recent multi-billion dollar agreement between NASA and SpaceX.
One of the companies participating in this market is Space Adventures, who recently, in cooperation with the design company PriestmanGoode, has launched a new spacecraft design called Neptune, which wants to address space trade in a different way. In the company’s own words, « from the design generating solutions that allow us to maximize the experience of space travel to its users by adding a human dimension ”, this with the aim of producing a more enjoyable and affordable experience of space travel.
The term “affordable” was not clarified by the company, but it is a well-known fact that this type of travel is mainly intended for billionaires since they are the only ones capable of assuming the cost of this type of travel.
The Neptune spacecraft would be able to transport up to eight passengers comfortably and they will enjoy 360 ° visions in a flight that would take approximately six hours and would reach the outer limits of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Are we about to see the outbreak of space tourism?
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(1) Global Space Tourism Market Report, History and Forecast 2015-2026, www.marketwatch.com
