Unless you have been hiding under a rock (which I wouldn’t blame you if you were) you might have noticed that three of the richest men on earth have been going head-to-head in their own Space race! Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson are all the spotlight, paving the way to what might be, a new industry.
So, what are they doing exactly? Well, this 21st century competition is seeing the private industry attempting to make Space travel a recreational possibility such as tourists being able to orbit the Earth or (in the feature) travel to other planets. All three Billionaires have been racing against the clock to be the first to “make Space more accessible” but it’s currently only the wealthiest that could afford these prime-time seats. Currently, only a few companies are offering this service such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Space Adventures however what would happen if this opportunity became open to the general public and the private sector found a way of making Space travel cheap and accessible?
A new Industry could be forming in front of our eyes with millions of job roles to fill from engineers to the flight crew to even coordinators who plan the trip! Before we can start talking about a new industry forming though, the private sector must first wade through all the controversy that surrounds recreational Space travel. These things include it only being currently available to the richest in society and the massive CO2 emissions sent into the atmosphere with every flight. If these ‘Space Racers’ really want to make Space available to all then they need to find new innovative ways to make flights cheaper, safer, and more eco-friendly. We don’t know which way it will go but we can say one thing with certainty – it won’t be boring to watch!