Expect an ‘out of this world’ holiday — literally — with the forthcoming trend of Space Tourism. Sub-orbital business aircraft, intergalactic hotels and what not! By Ritika Dixit
When it comes to satisfying your wanderlust, the sky is the limit. Or, is it? Apparently not! With the upcoming trend of space tourism, travellers are ready to burn a hole in their pocket and indulge in quick sub-orbital trips past the Kármán Line, which separates Earth and space. The craft will come back down to Earth immediately, sometimes even in a few minutes.
As of now, only Russia-based space agency Roscosmos, in collaboration with US-based Space Adventures, has taken its paying customers to space with accommodation provided by the International Space Station.
Experts suggest that the future of space travel could also include longer stays and orbital flights. Virgin Galactic, a spaceflight company within the Virgin group, made it to the headlines in 2018 with its two pilots crossing the space boundary on a test flight. But Virgin isn’t alone in its race to outer space. Blue Origin is promoting the largest windows in space on its New Shepard Capsule while Elon Musk owned SpaceX claims to have a line up of customers who are ready to pay a bomb for a trip around the moon. SpaceX will also be taking Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on a trip around the moon in 2023.
Acknowledging the hype of this niche trend, even NASA is scheduled to start selling passenger tickets — costing up to USD 35,000 for a night — to its International Space Station. SpaceX and Boeing will be providing flights for the same.
A luxury space hotel, Aurora Station, is being worked upon by Orion Span. The hotel is scheduled to start in 2021 when it will be able to accommodate six individuals on a 12-day space flight. Reservations will cost an eye-popping amount of USD 9.5 million. Bigelow Aerospace, a venture by hotelier Robert Bigelow, is closest to turning space hotels into a reality, thanks to its low orbit inflatable space stations.
Shell out a bomb amount and experience your love for travel transcending space, literally!
Related: Some Facts You Should Know About India’s Giant Leap To Space
Bayar Jain
Senior Content Manager
Equipped with a degree in Sociology (Honours) from the University of Delhi, and a post graduate diploma in English Journalism and Mass Communication from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Bayar enjoys sharing stories of people, places, and different cultures. When not typing her travel tales, you can catch the hobbyist photographer capturing the next frame, dabbling in arts and crafts, or gushing over puppers and kittens.
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