Still don’t know
where to start?

With the rapid progress in technology, we will soon be able to travel to space for leisure and holidays! In the future travelling to space will be as convenient as booking a flight to the United States.As of now, the future of space tourism looks promising. 

Many scholars suggest that in a few years, the space tourism industry could change the world, just like the NASA inventions and real life robots.

Coming from the family tree of the aviation industry, space travel is a niche segment of it. It aims to give travellers the feeling of being an astronaut and provides them the experience of space travel for fun or business purposes. As we all know, it is extremely expensive, thus only a very small amount of consumers are able to or are willing to purchase this travel. 

 Types of space tourism

• Short duration suborbital flights
• Longer duration orbital trips
• Atmospheric zero gravity flights 
• High altitude jet fighter flights. 

Here one can find the weightlessness, high speed experience, vision of all through space, unusual experiences and other scientific contributions. 

As of now, out of the four types of space tourism only atmospheric zero gravity flights and high altitude jet fighter flights are available commercially for tourists in this sector. 

When booking space tours, companies offer either orbital or suborbital flights.

• Orbital space travel for space tourism:

To explain it to you in simple words, orbital space travel means that the spacecraft travels around the planet with enough speed to avoid falling back to the earth. An example of orbital space travel is the International Space Station [ISS]. 
 

• Sub orbital space travel:

While the sub orbital space travel takes people to space and then returns to the surface of the earth at a comparatively slower speed then the orbital travel. 

Most companies offer suborbital space flights, usually for private citizens.

Now that we have discussed a few basics of space tourism, let us look at the pros and cons of space tourism.  Among space enthusiasts and other experts, opinions on space travel are highly rated.

Soon tour operators will also have to tie up with companies that provide this experience and add value to their offerings. 

Pros and cons of space tourism

 Pros

• Opportunity to experience space

Everyone wants to visit space, and know more about space tourism. Everyone wishes to look at the unknown, witness its expanse with their own eyes to look down at Earth from up above and gain a new perspective of our planet Earth. This surely will fulfil every one's inner child dream of being an astronaut!

• Space tourism creates employment

Many companies are taking interest in space tourism and so it opens up avenues for jobs too! Jobs like researchers,  explorers, operators, programmers and in the scientific field are all made available due to it. Many other support staff will also be required. 

Also to make space travel available, planes, shuttles, and other interior stuff will be needed too so business is bound to flourish. Thus, the demand for these items and other related jobs will be there including job availability in the tourism sector!

Since commercial space travel has the potential to boost the economy, there will definitely be a lot of job vacancies and investment will increase.

• Space tourism contributes to research

Scientists will spend more time in Space Research and it could help solve many mysteries about the universe and help in finding out new things about the world.

There will always be a push to get better and research more due to space tourism. Advancements will always keep happening if space travel becomes more popular. This won’t only be helpful for researchers and scientists but also help in the development of new gadgets and products which make our lives easier.

• Explore the outer space

All these space tourism programs help us learn more about the universe in a real sense. Scholars have in-depth knowledge about the space outside the layers of the earth. With the help of more and more research and exploration in this field, humankind can learn things not only about our mother earth but also other planets and comets!

Thus, we will be able to explore outer space thus contributing immensely to space exploration.

• Economy will flourish due to space tourism

Since so many people keep taking interest in this field day after day, there is an advantage to the growth of the economy in many private as well as public sectors.

Many investors are attracted to fund different companies that are involved in space tourism as they can attain added benefits and profits when the actual tours to space occur. 

 Cons

• Space tourism is expensive:

To start up any program to go to space, large amounts of funding is required. This is not only going to be expensive for the companies and industries but also cut through pockets of the travellers as it is going to be an attempt to send people to space and back with the utmost safety. 

A single ticket to travel to space causes around thousands of dollars, only the value list of the wealthiest travellers can afford a seat on a future space right. Due to this, many people have pointed out that the price tag of travelling to space is one major downside of today’s space travel.

• It could impact our environment:

Many people think it’s not a big deal that debris is left out in the huge vast space as it is infinite, but they forget that even a tiny scrap left behind can lead to a huge disaster and harm the lives of tourists and astronauts. It ruins the beauty of the universe. 

Scientists and environmentalists also have a deep concern that space tourism could damage the planet and the Milky Way. It might also impact climate change. Also, there are environmental problems with the launch of rockets, satellites and space shuttles. It enforces the increase of global warming in the world. 

However a scholar named Poynter suggests that not all space travel is harmful to the environment. She says that Space Perspective’s Spaceship Neptune is the only carbon-neutral spacecraft with zero-emissions, and it is a carbon-neutral company.

• Safety is not yet fully assured:

Every single trip to space is a chance of risk. Whether it is in terms of leisure or research, there can be a huge risk of catastrophic disasters, leading to loss of life.

The companies always try to ensure the utmost safety of everyone, however not everyone knows what’s coming in outer space.

The future of space tourism

Many experts predict that tourists might want to stay in space and that many companies have already started planning to build properties. They have accommodations for space tourists to spend a night. Some of these hotels could even have officers and resort space on rent. The future of space tourism is beyond our imagination, there is lot of be explored and the human mind’s fascination with space is insatiable. Our curiosity is the reason for the growing field of space travel. 

The role of tour operators is vital in the future of space tourism as they offer personalised travel service. They can suggest, educate and guide travellers about space travel. ETOS also plays a vital role as a travel software company to facilitate the travel service. 

Connect with our team to discuss the various software available with us and revisit your travel business.