To say that the Russians have had a bit of an exclusive niche when it comes to putting civilians into space is an understatement. But the one man that is almost synonymous with entrepreneurship is keen on changing all of that. I am of course referring to Sir Richard Branson who has made the Virgin brand popular the whole world over.
On Monday, Virgin Galactic unveiled SpaceShipTwo (SS2), the “world’s first manned commercial spaceship”. Earlier this year Virgin Galactic unveiled its mothership the VMS Eve (christened after Richard’s mother) which helps carry SS2 to a high enough altitude (some 50,000 feet) where it can launch for sub orbit. SpaceShipTwo however is the actual ship that will carry the clients to the far reaches of Earth’s atmosphere (and back again) for a zero G experience no one is likely to forget. The two ships in conjunction act as a two-stage rocket essentially, but do so in a very clever, [relatively] cheap, and efficient way. Thus, the dawn of a new era in human space flight is upon us–if all goes according to plan that is.
So why is this such a big deal considering the fact that it still costs a fortune (~ $200,000) for most people (and by most people I mean the rest of us who do not have our own amusement parks in our backyards, 9 exotic cars of the same kind in all different colors, and who do not take morning dips into a big pile of money like Scrooge McDuck) to experience? Well, for starters without this new service the conventional way to get into space costs somewhere around $20 million so no matter how you cut it, that’s a big difference. And if the technology really catches on, the possibility for growth would drive down prices even more.
Similarly, with the advance of the unmanned H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) developed by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to resupply the ISS as well as some promising commercial automated processes currently being developed means that the various space agencies around the globe can shift their human space exploration programs from low Earth orbit to the Moon, Mars, and beyond (as suggested by NASA’s Human Space Flight Committee).
The key in this transition is to ensure that everybody remains vigilant when it comes to safety. If the commercial sector can remain true to that fundamental priority and not cut any corners for the sake of profit, then more competition in this industry can only mean good things not only for human space exploration, but for consumers everywhere. Before we know it, doing backflips in zero gravity will seem so passé. Click the read link to watch a short video.
