Space Tourism: How Far are we From Star Trek's Warp Drive?

AUSTIN, Texas - Nov. 8, 2021 - PRLog -- Space Tourism: Is It The Final Frontier?

What is your take on billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos rocketing up into space?

Do you see it as a welcome distraction from the world's woes of fire, flood, and pandemic?

Or are you one of the cynics who dismiss it as more "bread and circuses" to entertain the masses?

In either case, one thing is certain: private space travel is a rich man's game, especially considering that only a few of the wealthiest countries in the world have the financial means to mount a successful trip to the edge of space.

It also reminds us of the fierce competition in 1911 to be the first explorer to reach the South Pole, a race in which Norway's Roald Amundsen ultimately prevailed, and Britain's Robert Falcon Scott tragically perished.

Let's take a closer look at today's billionaire space explorers.

Richard Branson, Founder Virgin Records And Later Virgin Galactic

After establishing himself as a media mogul built on the success of his Virgin Records label, Richard Branson's next act was to expand his brand into air travel by launching Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia airlines. In 2004, Branson announced a new venture, Virgin Galactic, which would take tourists into space.

At the time, many discounted this as nothing more than one of Branson's many audacious publicity stunts. But, as it turns out, both the financial investment and the projects were real, and it was hoped the first space flight would take place by 2010. However, delays and a disastrous inflight breakup of the VSS Enterprise in 2014 set the project back many years as the revised spacecraft designs were developed and tested.

Upon hearing that his rival Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and financial backer of Branson's space flight competitor Blue Origin, planned to launch himself into space on July 20, 2021, Branson's team sped up their launch plans several weeks to beat Bezos to the punch.

So, on July 11, 2021, Virgin Galactic successfully launched their VSS Unity spacecraft from the aircraft-based launcher VMS Eve; it carried Branson, three employees, and two pilots to the very edge of space (defined as 50 miles above sea level), where they experienced three precious minutes of weightlessness before returning safely to earth – and probably not a little bit of satisfaction at beating rival Bezos into space by a scant 19 days.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder And Financial Backer Of Blue Origin

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