Let’s have a chat.
I was listening to a podcast at work the other day called “Space Nuts,” and I don’t recall the specifics, but at one point one of the guys said offhandedly, something-something “…now that the space race has gone commercial.”
I paused the podcast.
I was fully taken aback and had to let that reality absorb into my brain. I suppose growing up watching sci-fi shows set in years like 3000 gave me an unrealistic expectation of space exploration. The space race is commercial?! Already?! When I think “commercial” the synapses that go off in my head are: Ford, Jeep, Chevy, Dodge, and that old lady saying “Where’s the Beef?” and Walmart. Are we really about to make an orbital Walmart?!
Okay, not quite.
But there is a lot more movement than I thought in this idea of the average guy on in space.
Virgin Galactic
Let’s all take a beat to fully appreciate the name of this company. Side bar: Growing up watching corny sci-fi shows and movies, I thought there was no way words like “wormhole” and “holodeck” and “intergalactic” would be used seriously when the things in cinema became real. I assumed that they would come off too silly for serious endeavors. Yet here we have the Virgin Group stepping up to the plate with a name like Virgin Galactic. You’ve heard of all the Virgin airlines, and Virgin cruise lines? Yeah, this is them, except now they are creating a Virgin spaceline.
Should I say instead, THE spaceline.
Virgin Galactic is the first company entirely dedicated to building and operating spaceships to transport regular, paying customers to and from space. They build airplane spaceships. And as of December 13th, 2018 they successfully completed their first manned space flight! We could be taking weekend trips to space before you know it, y’all.
Orion Span, Aurora Station
If we do catch a redeye to space someday soon, we’ll need somewhere to stay on the other end! That’s where Orion Span comes in, apparently. Orion Span announced in April of 2018 that they are building the first luxury hotel in space, called the Aurora Station.
Here’s a rundown of their snazzy accommodations: A stay on the Aurora Station will be 12 days long, with only 3 other guests and 2 crew members. You want privacy? Space is your place. For a mere 9.5 million per person, a trip will include all amenities (including transportation, sorry Virgin Galactic), and food that you’ll grow yourself in orbit. Are you a ‘rise with the sun’ person? Well the Aurora Station will orbit Earth once every 90 minutes, so you’ll have about 16 sunrises and sunsets every day.
In all seriousness, this is a pretty cool endeavor, and according to their website all they are waiting on is the rest of their funding. Orion Span estimates housing their first space guests in 2022. The only thing that makes me weary as a potential customer is their training program. Obviously neighbor Joe Bob can’t wake up one morning and decide he’s gonna go to space, but the standard training to go to the space station takes 24-months. For the Aurora Station project, Orion Span cut it down to a 3-month program. 3 months. And part of your training is online.
Okay listen, I’ve taken online classes. I get it. Very convenient, super efficient, learn at a different pace. But if I’m preparing to be strapped to a rocket and shot off the Earth, I think I’ll take the year long, hands-on program, thanks.
That being said, they must know what they’re doing because a month after the announcement of the Aurora Station, NASA similarly announced a proposal to study “the future of human spaceflight commercialization in low-Earth orbit” with plans to research habitability in low Earth orbit. You beat NASA to the punch, Orion Span. Kudos.
Elon Musk, SpaceX
So the space race is commercial. With enough money, you can buy your way to space. But what if you think it’s too expensive? What if you go to buy a rocket, as one may do, and the sellers are asking too much? Why, you build your own rocket!
That’s exactly what happened to Elon Musk. In one lay-woman’s opinion, if any single person is going to make a difference in democratizing space, it’ll be Elon Musk. Afterall, his personal car is orbiting the sun.
What you may not know, though, is why he sent his car to space. It was actually not about the car at all, the flight was a test for the Falcon Heavy Rocket which SpaceX built to ultimately carry humans to space (particularly his colony on Mars, but that’s a whole other topic). Usually these rocket tests carry some fake cargo for a realistic weight in flight, but Elon Musk is anything but boring so instead of some arbitrary blocks of concrete he used a car.
No big deal. Let me just stuff my $100k car into a rocket head.
It was an efficient research tactic though, because they were also able to get an in-flight, in-space test of their new space suits on their dummy driver, Starman.
Is anyone else as astonished as I am about commercializing space? I’ve researched space stuff and followed NASA’s goings-ons for years, but it wasn’t until that moment, when I heard someone so nonchalantly mention it, that it hit me that space isn’t only for astronauts anymore. As for me, I’m not very adventurous. I don’t see myself booking a flight to space anytime soon.
Maybe by the year 3000 I’ll be ready.
https://www.industryweek.com/transportation/commercialization-space-selling-final-frontier
https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/first-space-flight
https://spacenews.com/startup-announces-plans-for-low-cost-commercial-space-station/
https://www.orionspan.com/orion-span-announces-space-hotel
https://www.orionspan.com/aurora-station-crowdfunding
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/charting-the-future-of-a-commercial-space-marketplace
Also, Check out Space Nuts Podcast, wherever you listen to your podcasts!
Dabbling Adult 