The curious kid inside us always wanted to explore space because the thought of going up above the sky, where it’s always dark, was so exciting. Even it’s thought used to thrill us because we were unaware of how difficult it was and how much money one has to spend to even think about it.What would be your reaction if you learned that you could live the dream you had as a child, but back then, you weren’t so sure how that would work?
Well, you can do it now because the concept of Space Tourism is quite trending these days.
Space is no longer where only astronauts can go to discover the world’s mysteries. It is now open to people in general as well.
The space is open for recreational purposes. Only recently, a company called Space Perspective introduced the idea of Space Wedding, where you can get married in space. You will not be taken into a rocket like astronauts do; instead, you will be lifted with the help of a space balloon.
How cool is that?
Besides, you will get a 360-degree view of the space while sipping your cocktails. Isn’t that the best destination wedding ever?
What Exactly Is Space Tourism?
Space Tourism is all about sending the general public to space for recreational purposes, either on government space flights or on space flights owned by various private companies. These space flights could be orbital, sub-orbital or maybe beyond Earth’s orbit as well.
How Did Space Tourism Start?
Before we begin, lets dig a little deeper and find out the history behind Space Tourism. The concept may sound like its way ahead in future, but little do we know that space tourism already has an established history dating back to the 2000s.
A Russian Company took 10 tourists to space but seized its operations in 2010. Ever since many private companies have come up with the proposal of space tourism.
An American, Dennis Tito, paid millions of dollars to the Russian Space Agency for taking a flight to space, which led to making him the first space tourist in the world in 2001. Isn’t that the most exciting thing you have heard this week?
Companies That Deal In Space Tourism
With its growing popularity, space tourism is trending, and several companies offer you the opportunity to go to space and live your dream life among the stars. We all know Elon Musk; he is always on the news for one reason or another. Elon Musk is the founder of Space X, and if you have been following him, then you must know that already.Space X has quite an experience in launching space-bound flights, and now it is planning to broaden its horizons. Other companies are limited to space flights, however, Space X prioritizes lunar tourism and other forms of space travel, which extends beyond the orbit of the Earth.
In the year 2017, Elon Musk revealed his intentions of sending two tourists on a trip around the moon as part of the inaugural of lunar tourism mission but it has been delayed.
Orion Span is a space travel company of the United Space that has come up with the idea of Space hotels, so you can not only travel to space but also stay there in a hotel. Can you believe it? The company has announced private space stations called Aurora Space Stations, which would accommodate six space tourists in one go.
The company has already sold several reservations, the cost of which is more than 7 million Euros.
Suggested Read: Sleep Tourism: A Wellness Trend
Zero to Infinity is another company dealing in space travel which has taken space tourism to a more sustainable level as it reduces the use of carbon emissions which are given out by rockets, but instead uses the balloon technology. Other companies such as Boeing, Space Adventures, Virgin Galactic, and its competitor Blue Origin also deals in space tourism.
The companies mentioned above are the ones that have proposed a successful space tourism plan, however there were other companies too that came up with interesting ideas related to Space tourism but unfortunately they didn’t make it.
Some of these companies are Galactic Suite Space Resort, The Golden Spike Company, XCOR Aerospace.
These companies had some interesting proposals for Space Tourism but skepticism and circumstantial events led to their failure.
How To Book Your Space Flight?
Now you can book your space flight and fly to the moon, for real this time. Elon Musk has already mentioned that the price for traveling to space will be somewhere around $500,000 but with the increasing flights and services, the prices may go down as well.
Just stay up to date with space tourism and travel news and visit the websites of these companies frequently and look at the offers that they are providing, and you can book your advance flight and in some cases accommodation as well.
To sum up, we can say that we are lucky enough to be born in an era where travelling to space or even getting married there is possible. Technology and innovation never fail to surprise us but travelling to space on a balloon is just next-level innovation that we never even imagined, but it’s as real as it gets.
What’s next? A house on the moon?
The scientists and researchers have proven that when you dig deeper, the sky isn’t the limit; it’s just the beginning.
