Space is no longer to be the final frontier for the world rather it has become a competing ground for those who want to profit from commercial space activities.
Space Adventures has earned over $120 million in sales for offering commercial seats to the public. It had began receiving commercial services from the Russian Space Agency after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Space Adventures’ clients pay $20 million each for their voyage. Future travelers may even take a spacewalk for an additional $15 million.
Eric C. Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures, the first company to send paying passengers into space said:
Now the space race is motivated by profit, which is even better because it means it will sustain itself beyond the ups and downs of politics.
Even the US space agency, NASA, is thinking in terms of providing opportunity for commercial and international participation.
Virgin Galactic, are trying to gain their share of the market by developing their own spaceship for paying passengers. Virgin Galactic plans to fly its first passengers on a suborbital flight in the next two years for $200,000 per person and build a spaceport in New Mexico.
In due course, say 30 40 years from now space travel will become more accessible, affordable and not a far-fetched dream!
Source: Voa News
