Content uploaded by Patrick Collins
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Patrick Collins on Jun 03, 2020
Content may be subject to copyright.
The Economic Benefits of Space Tourism
Abstract
The recent growth of activities towards developing passenger space
travel services is very promising; however there is a widespread but
mistaken idea that space tourism will remain a small-scale activity of
the very wealthy. The truth is that, having been delayed for over three
decades by government space agencies' failure to develop more than a
small fraction of the commercial potential of space, the start of space
travel services is long overdue, and so they are capable of growing
rapidly into a major new industry. That is, the technical and business
know-how exists to enable space tourism to grow to a turnover of 100
billion Euros/year within a few decades if it receives public support of
even 10% of space agencies budgets. This development would sharply
reduce the cost of accessing the resources of space, which could prevent
the spread of the “resource wars” which have begun so
ominously. No activity therefore offers greater economic benefits than
the rapid development of low-cost space tourism services. A range of
government policies should be revised to reflect this.
... Studi pasar mengenai memproyeksi dalam sektor transportasi antariksa diprediksi oleh sejumlah peneliti akan menjadi pasar yang menghasilkan pendapatan signifikan di masa depan (Jusell 1998, 5) Misalnya, studi pasar telah menunjukkan bahwa pariwisata antariksa yang melibatkan segmen spaceflight suborbital, bisa menjadi pasar dengan keuntungan miliarandolar dalam 20 tahun mendatang. Segmen pasar komersial antariksa pasca 40 tahun, lembaga Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) menghabiskan setara dengan 1 triliun USD atau, sekitar 20 miliar USD / tahun selama 40 tahun, ditambah pertumbuhan secara riil akibat inflasi (Collins 2006). Adapun penulis akan memaparkan skenario pasar pada segmen commercial spaceflight melalui proyeksi program Space Shuttle, misalnya memerlukan biaya setidaknya $ 30 juta per pesawat dan orang, tergantung pada tingkat peluncuran tahunan dan ukuran kru. ...
... Застосування третього напрямку -багаторазового використання РН або, наприклад, лише їхніх ДУ, є одним із найперспективніших напрямків розвитку ракетно-космічної техніки [16], хоча перші програми використання багаторазових носіїв були достатньо високовартісними [17]. Наприклад, вартість виведення для ТКС «Space Shuttle» залишилась практично такою самою, як і для одноразових РН через великий обсяг міжпольотних і відновлювальних робіт [18]. Радянський проєкт РН важкого класу «Енергія» (стартова маса близько 2400 т) з масою корисного вантажу близько 100 т зазнав невдачі, у тому числі, внаслідок економічних чинників [19]. ...
The relevance of the problem of creating new light and ultra-light launch vehicles from the point of view of the development of the modern space industry is shown. First of all, this problem is related to the expansion of the market and the scope of use of small satellites, most of which are now launched into orbit as passing load by medium and heavy launch vehicles, which is not at all prompt and too expensive. The estimated forecast of the small satellite launch market, which is presented herein, indicates a growing demand for their launch services. A low-cost launch vehicle for the launch of small satellites would greatly expand their use, development, and production. This indicates the need for creation of special-purpose cheap transport vehicles for the operative decision of tasks of launching such satellites into orbit. It is shown that the main directions for increasing the efficiency and reducing the cost of launches are reducing the cost of making a transport space system, increasing of mass the payload, increasing the multiplicity of reusable uses, and reducing one-time costs per start. World trends in solving this problem are connected with the solution problem of creating ultra-light launch vehicles. The historical review of studies on prototype rockets that use the principle of reducing the mass of a launch vehicle during flight by burning spent structural elements indicates the possibility of creating launch vehicles on this principle by using complex hydrocarbon polymers as structural materials. It is shown that polymer materials, in particular polyethylene, can become the main material for the manufacture of fuel tanks for solid rockets, which use the new principle of burning the design during flight. The use of fuel tanks as fuel will give a possibility to reduce the cost of the propulsion system, which is one of the most expensive parts of the launch vehicle. The development of such launch vehicles and the commercialization of scientific research will allow domestic aerospace companies to occupy a niche in the market of small satellite launches.
... More recently, numerous studies have been made that support space tourism as an economically viable activity in space and on the Moon. These studies state that such tourism will be accessible to more than the very wealthy [17][18][19]. ...
... While most of the purely privately-run proposals seem to have faltered (such Tran-sOrbital), and other private projects are facing technological set-backs (Space Exploration Technologies 56 ), projects proposed in close collaboration with RFSA or NASA have more chance of success. While the current offerings carry an exorbitant price tag ($25 million) and while projected initial sub-orbital tourist opportunities will also be very expensive ($100,000 and up) 69 , there are economic studies that suggest that space tourism is likely become more affordable soon 12,14,49 , especially if combined if a mixed market approach (government and private passengers) is espoused 29 . Given the failures of many privately-run proposals, others, however, have argued that space tourism will remain a luxury market for the foreseeable future 7 . ...
By necessity, current star tourism is an outward looking, Earth-bound and geo-centric opportunity with the observer's window to the skies constrained by his/her location. The emergent area of space tourism offers to remove such constraints. Moreover, as it visually and experientially places Earth into the context of other planets, space tourism will provide the tourist with a literally different perspective. While the proposed sub-orbital (mass) tourism will provide a brief orbital experience, it is still largely focused on weightlessness and the opportunity of seeing Earth from orbit. Despite this, it will offer the tourist brief opportunities for viewing stars from a different point of view. True Space Tourism, be it 'real' (through tourists in space) or virtual (via pay-per-drive remote controlled rovers), moves from a geocentric opportunity spectrum to one that provides views of Earth in space as part of a suite of offerings that encompasses views of planets and stars wholly unencumbered by atmospheric disturbances that plague an observer on Earth, and also unencumbered by constraints of the spatial positioning of the observer in relation to the sector of the universe viewed (as the viewing platform either orbits or is geostationary depending on design intent). Space Tourism will, eventually, also provide access to the lunar and planetary surfaces (eg Mars) providing additional perspectives. This paper reviews various proposed scenarios of orbital, lunar and interplanetary tourism and examines the opportunity spectra each these provide for star tourism.
... Human beings have a special interest in space travel and observation that has not been fully exploited on Earth [21,[41][42][43][44][45]. There have been some breakthrough studies aimed at demonstrating the potential market of space tourism as technology makes it possible for humans to travel into space [46][47][48][49]. ...
Stargazing tourism is an expanding market niche that requires the development of territorial resources for its implementation and attraction. This paper’s objective is to investigate the preferences and willingness to pay of tourists for the development of strategic land resources for stargazing tourism activities. The field work was conducted on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands), which is promoting the territorial development of infrastructures for stargazing tourism. A random sample of 734 tourists were interviewed in person on-site in December 2019 following the methodology discrete choice experiments that enabled an estimation of tourists’ preferences and willingness to pay for the implementation of key land resources for stargazing. The data are modeled using a latent class model that allows for the consideration of heterogeneous preferences. The results show that there are three groups of tourists with different preferences for land resources of stargazing observation. These segments are respectively related to the interests in culture, active, and astronomic tourism. Those tourists in the active stargazing segment share the largest proportion of the market and favor the implementation of facilities that allow the combination of active tourism with stargazing. The results are useful for land product development and territorial strategies aimed at positioning destinations in the identified demand niches of stargazing tourism.
... More recently, numerous studies have been made that support space tourism as an economically viable activity in space and on the Moon. These studies state that such tourism will be accessible to more than the very wealthy [17][18][19]. The potential for an astronomical observatory on the Moon is very great and it could be serviced periodically in a reasonable fashion from a lunar base. ...
How do we begin to expand our civilization to the Moon? What are the technical issues that infrastructural engineers, in particular, must address? This paper has the goal of introducing this fascinating area of structural mechanics, design, and construction. Published work of the past several decades about lunar bases is summarized. Additional emphasis is placed on issues related to regolith mechanics and robotic construction. Although many hundreds of papers have been written on these subjects, and only a few tens of these have been referred to here, it is believed that a representative view has been created. Thus summary includes environmental issues, a classification of structural types being considered for the Moon, and some possible usage of in situ resources for lunar construction. An appendix provides, in tabular form, an overview of structural types and their lunar applications and technology drivers.
... While most of the purely privately-run proposals seem to have faltered (such Tran-sOrbital), and other private projects are facing technological set-backs (Space Exploration Technologies 56 ), projects proposed in close collaboration with RFSA or NASA have more chance of success. While the current offerings carry an exorbitant price tag ($25 million) and while projected initial sub-orbital tourist opportunities will also be very expensive ($100,000 and up) 69 , there are economic studies that suggest that space tourism is likely become more affordable soon 12,14,49 , especially if combined if a mixed market approach (government and private passengers) is espoused 29 . Given the failures of many privately-run proposals, others, however, have argued that space tourism will remain a luxury market for the foreseeable future 7 . ...
By necessity, current star tourism is an outward looking, Earth-bound and geo-centric opportunity with the observer’s window to the skies constrained by his/her location. The emergent area of space tourism offers to remove such constraints. Moreover, as it visually and experientially places Earth into the context of other planets, space tourism will provide the tourist with a literally different perspective.
While the proposed orbital (mass) tourism will provide a brief orbital experience, it is still largely fo-cused on weightlessness and the opportunity of seeing Earth from orbit. Despite this, it will offer the tourist brief opportunities for viewing stars from a different point of view. True Space Tourism, be it 'real' (through tourists in space) or virtual (via pay-per-drive remote controlled rovers), moves from a geo-centric opportunity spectrum to one that provides views of Earth in space as part of a suite of offerings that encompasses views of planets and stars wholly unencumbered by atmospheric disturbances that plague an observer on Earth, and also unencumbered by constraints of the spatial positioning of the ob-server in relation to the sector of the universe viewed (as the viewing platform either orbits or is geo-stationary--depending on design intent). Space Tourism will, eventually, also provide access to the lunar and planetary surfaces (eg Mars) providing additional perspectives.
This paper reviews various proposed scenarios of orbital, lunar and interplanetary tourism and exam-ines the opportunity spectra each these provide for star tourism.
Human access to space is challenging, expensive, and pushes humans to the limits of endurance. Even though we have accumulated six decades of experience in human space flight, it is still a dangerous adventure. The ability to address medical concerns for healthy astronauts and cosmonauts has evolved over the past six decades. Space travelers who live and work in low Earth orbit are in relative comfort and have some level of assurance that a space medicine-trained doctor is looking out for their health and well-being. While access to space and return to Earth remain risky activities, life on the International Space Station (ISS) has many of the comforts of home, minus the gravity of course. As spacefaring nations encourage and facilitate non-government approaches to low Earth orbit, space medicine will be an important element in this emerging endeavor. Individuals who fly on commercial spacecraft to and from space stations or other outposts in near Earth orbit for the foreseeable future will be a much more health-diverse group than those who currently live and work on the ISS. While government and commercial investment in human space flight continues, the health and medical challenges for humans in low Earth orbit will increase. Space medicine experts will need to provide critical experience and knowledge for the “new” space travelers for this emerging paradigm. This chapter summarizes the potential growth of commercial space opportunities while reinforcing the role of space medicine.
More than 2.5 Billion people around the world are travelling by air every year, and most of them are tourists. The tourism industry could not be successful without a reliable air transport industry, especially with regard to safety and liability of the service providers. Air transport industry is well regulated under the auspices of ICAO especially with regard to safety, certification and liability of the operators and service providers. While this has not impeded the advancement of the air transport nor the aviation dependant tourism in a way it has provided a reliability and public confidence and in its own right has helped to expand the tourism industry. Outer space, and space tourism are interrelated and both have international nature. Any proper use of outer space in particular in tourism industry should be able to attract the support and participation of all states. This will facilitate the development of industry and business in a real global sense In order to have successful space tourism industry, drawing on our experience from aviation industry, we need to have well regulated operators and service providers especially with regard to the issues such as safety, certifications, liability with recognition and practice by all states. This can be done through the creation of an international body to regulate outer space activities especially for issues such as certification, standardization, safety requirements and liability of operators and service providers. This paper tries to show how such an international body can be established and what its role would be in promoting the space tourists especially by private operators.
This eBook explores the benefits of a commercial space tourism industry and describes the contemporary state of development in 2012. In addition, the impediments to space tourism enterprise are identified and documented. My central purpose is to describe strategic communication solutions to space tourism industrial impediments through consideration of salient strategic communication functions and tactics.
During the 1980s the Thatcher administration decided that space activities funded by the British government should be limited to the two areas of scientific research and activities with commercial potential. Among other effects, this policy led to Britain investing in neither Ariane 5 nor the 'International Space Station'. As a consequence, Britain is unique among 'G7' countries in having no vested interest, neither economic nor political, in either expendable launch vehicles or the ISS - neither of which will be profitable in the normal commercial sense. This gives Britain relative freedom to invest in more commercially valuable systems that may compete with these government-funded projects. In recent years it has become increasingly widely accepted, including within NASA, that the largest commercial opportunity in space is the development of passenger space travel, or 'space tourism'. However, to date, the British government has provided no support whatever for work in this field. In 2000 the parliamentary Trade and Industry Select Committee criticized this unsatisfactory situation, but their comments have been disregarded to date. This paper reviews the current situation and discusses measures that must be implemented in order for British taxpayers to obtain the greatest economic benefit from the government's space expenditure.
Government space agencies have the statutory responsibility to suport the commercialisation of space activities. NASA's 1998 report “General Public Space Travel and Tourism” concluded that passenger space travel can start using already existing technology, and is likely to grow into the largest commercial activity in space: it is therefore greatly in taxpayers' economic interest that passenger space travel and accommodation industries should be developed. However, space agencies are doing nothing to help realise this — indeed, they are actively delaying it. This behaviour is predicted by ‘public choice’ economics, pioneered by Professors George Stigler and James Buchanan who received the 1982 and 1986 Nobel prizes for Economics, which views government organisations as primarily self-interested. The paper uses this viewpoint to discuss public and private roles in the coming development of a space tourism industry.
Without doubt, humans’ most urgent need at the start of the new millennium is the continuation of economic growth, which is the only means by which the great majority of the world population can lift themselves out of the poverty in which they live. A sine qua non for continuing economic growth is for the rich countries to continue to develop new industries—as they did throughout the 20th century, thereby creating high-productivity employment for hundreds of millions of people around the world. Arguably the most significant of these thus far is the development of passenger air travel from zero in 1900 to 1.5 billion passengers per year by 2000. It is becoming clear that passenger space travel could grow to reach a similar economic scale—and that no other space activity has comparable potential. The paper describes the potential contribution to world economic growth of passenger space travel; the failure of government space agencies either to aid its development or to make a contribution to economic growth commensurate to their cost; and the value for economic policy of prioritising the realisation of passenger space travel. The faster passenger space travel services grow, the more the space industry will contribute to “Meeting the Needs of the New Millennium”.
For several years, specialized agencies have been searching for "new programs" that could reinvigorate the support for space activities and stop their budgets' decline of. But the same time, they have been retrenching by focusing on collecting and distributing information, putting scientific research as their core projects. On a planet soon to host a 10-billion population that will impact the biosphere's workings as never before, at a time when many governments and organizations see the virtue in the management of scarcity, musing on the origins of life and of the solar system can hardly be expected to be invested with high priority. The space option arose from the analysis of the issues confronting humanity. In reviewing the material needs of the human population in the near future, the analysis finds that the impact on the biosphere will perforce be much larger than it usually seems to be acceptable to assume.