Space tourism and human settlements on the moon? Yes, if the world's space-interested entrepreneurs are allowed to decide. The movement, called "New Space," hopes to push prices out into the stars and build recyclable rockets.
Here are some of the banner bearers.
Jeff Bezos – founder of the online giant Amazon and the world's richest man
American Jeff Bezos was the first to jump into the commercial space industry at the turn of the millennium. With his company Blue Origin, he plans to send tourists into space to experience weightlessness. Tickets are set to go on sale next year and, according to leaks, could cost the equivalent of three million Swedish kronor.
Blue Origin has at times struggled against headwinds and Bezos has sold shares in Amazon to pump billions of dollars annually into the space project, whose technology development focuses on so-called VTLV, rocket launch and landing that can take place vertically, unlike today.
In the future, Blue Origin wants to team up with the US space agency NASA to test letting people live on the moon. But Blue Origin is already collaborating with US authorities through large and valuable contracts. Earlier this year, they were commissioned by the US military to develop new rockets for them.
Elon Musk – co-founder of the payment service Paypal and the car brand Tesla
Two years after Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk started his space company Space X. Musk has succeeded better than his two main competitors in reaching far into space; his company has launched around 70 rockets and became the first private company to send a craft to the International Space Station ISS in 2012. The successes have led to several contracts with government space agencies, even though Space X has also experienced problems, for example with expensive satellites that have disappeared.
The ambition for Space X, like that of its competitor Blue Origin, is to build rockets that can be reused, thereby pushing consumer prices into space. Today, a rocket is discarded after a launch. But the task has proven to be difficult.
Musk's long-term goal is to send manned spacecraft to Mars and in the future explore the possibilities of living there, something he believes is necessary for the survival of humanity.
Richard Branson – superentrepreneur and founder of Virgin Galactic
British billionaire Richard Branson entered the space industry in 2004, when he founded Virgin Galactic with the bold ambition of becoming the first operator to send a tourist into space. Those plans were dashed when one of the company's spacecraft crashed during a test flight over the California desert in 2014, killing the pilot.
Since then, Branson's team has assembled and conducted several successful test flights, generating interest from the public and investors. Saudi Arabia, among others, was reportedly interested in investing at least $1 billion – but the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi caused Branson to call off negotiations.
Tickets for the first space trips up to zero gravity and back, for around 2.5 million kronor, are already on sale and celebrities such as artist Justin Bieber have reportedly expressed interest.
Source: TT
