The year 2021 saw itself as influential for the advent of commercial space travel. Companies such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin completed numerous test flights for what were to be the very first commercial spaceships. This all centred around the creation of a new industry: space tourism.
This trend can only be described as an imitation of the famous 1975 Space Race; only this time, it is billionaires, not national governments, competing to be the first to kickstart commercial trips to space. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, and British billionaire Richard Branson, have emerged as leading figures in this race, with the latter being the first to release tickets for commercial space flights.
With the recent controversy surrounding the ethics of billionaires and what they contribute to society, we come to the question of who benefits from this vision of space tourism? And what are the repercussions of developing this controversial yet growing industry?
One of the most pertinent questions regarding this ‘space race’ has been its impact on the environment. But unfortunately, statistics lead to an overwhelmingly gloomy conclusion. From aircraft to sourcing materials and fuels, each step of this venture requires an incredible amount of energy and resources, a strain on our planet which is already scrambling to switch to renewable energy sources.
Figures such as Bezos have assured the public that they aim to make their aircraft as environmentally friendly as possible, but these efforts appear redundant in the face of statistics. For example, a typical long-haul commercial flight releases 1-3 tonnes of CO2 or Carbon Dioxide per passenger. A space flight would release 50-70 tonnes per passenger. This could have disastrous effects on our planet, given that CO2 emissions account for seventy percent of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
This has fuelled a debate about the ethics of space tourism and whether it is necessary. Numerous public members find themselves disturbed by the sheer cost of launching and sustaining such an industry when the money could be used on Earth. In addition, social media users have stated how billionaires can use their money to solve problems such as poverty, implementing climate action, or conservation but instead pursue endeavours that only result in monetary gain.
In the face of criticism, Jeff Bezos insisted that space tourism had environmental benefits. By furthering exploration and establishing working bases in space, his vision consisted of: “to take all heavy industry, all polluting industry and move it into space, and keep Earth as this beautiful gem of a planet that it is.” He admits this plan will take time but is achievable. Ironically, scientists have been preaching that climate change requires immediate action. Unfortunately, the sheer environmental impact of an established space tourism industry could undo years of conservation work and climate action individuals and organisations have been undertaking.
Other than environmental concerns, the public seeks to understand what space tourism is for and whether it is attainable or even beneficial to the layman. Here, we look at Jeff Bezos’ 2021 flight to space. Bezos, his brother, and two others boarded the rocket New Shepard on July 20th, 2021. New Shepard rose to 107 kilometres, grazing our planet’s orbit, and the whole flight lasted ten minutes. The flight garnered immense media coverage and intense backlash on social media. After the flight, Bezos stated: “I also want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all of this.” His words were retweeted with hundreds of articles and employee accounts exposing terrible conditions at warehouses, meagre pay, a lack of healthcare services, and even reports of a pregnant employee miscarrying after being denied lighter work.
In light of such horrific conditions on our planet, the claim that space tourism and exploration benefits humanity is indeed weak. The form space exploration takes when spearheaded by billionaires is not dominated by a search for knowledge or a greater understanding of space but by material desires. Space tourism is not a moral but a commercial endeavour.
Capitalising on such a sector would only serve to exacerbate wealth inequality. Space tourism has plans to become more ‘accessible’ in the future, given that it is a service used frequently, which would, in turn, drive down prices. Despite these claims, it is clear that space flights are a service that will never be open to the general public. Recently, confused social media users reported receiving ads for Virgin Galactic flights on their feeds and questioned why the ads were targeted at them when a single ticket cost $450,000, ten times the average American student’s education debt.
Space travel, despite being marketed as an endeavour for the collective good of humanity, only remains accessible to the ultra-rich. It is obvious whom these endeavours are aimed at, and it is undoubtedly not the layman.
Humanity as a race is constantly evolving. We are consistently achieving, discovering, and engineering. The fact that space exploration can be introduced as something achievable on a commercial level is commendable, but it is not what humanity needs now. Investing in space tourism when our planet faces war, strife, and crisis reflects how billionaires can utilise their privilege to distance themselves from problems the rest of us face.
Many have suggested a happy middle ground, with space exploration being pursued on a non-commercial, sustainable level or having billionaires invest in government space programs. However, privatising space exploration can only be perceived as a materialistic endeavour on the part of the world’s wealthiest at the cost of the world’s most vulnerable.
On the Virgin Galactic website, a note proudly states that ‘space belongs to everyone: the adventurous, the audacious and the curious.’ But, unfortunately, for now, at least on a commercial level, space doesn’t seem to belong to anyone but the privileged.