Space Tourism News Roundup: May 2017
For our first news roundup in several months, we have switched to a monthly schedule. When these quarterly roundups began back in summer 2016, we knew that news would increase in frequency at a feverish pace. We’re now confident that you need a monthly update to stay on top of all the news that’s happening.
Stay tuned for future roundups published on the first Thursday of each month.
The Philosophy & Business of Space Tourism
Discussions on the possibility and viability of taking people to space.
This area has certainly shrunk in news in the last 12 months. It’s no longer a question of “if” so much as “when” space tourism will be happening on a wide scale:
Entrepreneurs, including the team here at Space Tourism Guide, are part of a massive industry shift:
And we’re particularly excited that companies are getting on board to support smaller companies and startups that don’t have funding from past ventures to support them:
We’ll be applying for the Star Fellows Silicon Valley cohort in Autumn 2017!
Lastly, despite all this, it’s important we consider how regulation will eventually come into the market and building space tourism businesses which are insulated from heavy-handed regulation:
Space Tourism Industry News
News about the businesses currently making waves in space tourism.
This is one of several great headlines for Virgin Galactic this month. One of the earliest players in the field, they’re still likely to be the first to put ‘civilians’ in space:
Blue Origin had a nice feature too, with less of a newsy spin:
Not to be left behind, there are loads of cool headlines from the international space tourism industry this month.
Russia’s timeline is not as aggressive as private companies in the U.S., but apparently the moon is back on everyone’s list:
New Zealand got some time in the spotlight too, as they had a successful launch. The country has great launch potential for other companies too.
Singapore is putting skin in the game as well:
And lastly, Scotland is aggressively pursuing opportunities for relevance in the industry as well. We hear there’s talk of a spaceport!
Space Tourism News
News related to the tourism trends and pressures surrounding space tourism.
Virgin Galactic had a great month, with two exciting headlines. The first makes space tourism feel within reach…
…and the second is a big psych! since if you don’t currently have tickets, you’ll still be waiting.
Obviously, demand for space tourism experiences is certainly there — but can we get the cost to a level where it’s more accessible to the public?
Speaking of getting to space, there’s been a lot of “reality checks” to remind people that it’s an unforgiving place and you need to prep first.
Nevertheless, some training is more advanced than others…
A Finnish startup is aiming to help make training more accessible to the mainstream while we wait for prices to come down:
Lastly, ending with some long-term thinking, it’s worth talking about how the space tourism industry will manage exorbitant costs to destinations besides LEO in the next 10–20 years:
Space Tourism in Pop Culture
On the lighter side…
“To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before…” Not quite – but William Shatner is certainly going to have one of the best space tourism experiences currently available:
On our own site, we covered the launch of Coach’s new space line. Part retro, part futuristic, it’s perfect for anyone with the funds who’s waiting on the chance to take a $250,000 trip to space…
