What differentiates man from other creatures that populate the earth is his curiosity. And when it comes to space, this curiosity is even more advanced. This desire to understand, but above all a secret desire to explore, is not new. It is a giant step that humanity has taken by sending a man into space for the first time. Since then, visits have multiplied, to the point where today we want to democratize space travel.
Space tourism: a dream for wealthy people?
We can hear that visiting the tourist area is now accessible to everyone. More and more numerous and ambitious groups are doing their best to make this a reality in the short term. Like any other tourist trip, space tourism obviously has a cost.
The first person to do so as a tourist was Denis Tito in 2001. To make his dream come true, however, he paid a lot of money for his ticket. In total, the round trip cost him 20 million euros. This astronomical sum did not stop many people from following the movement.
If, however, it took millions to afford a trip into space, this is no longer completely the case today. The price of the ticket has dropped drastically. This is due to the determination and ambition displayed by companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, CosmoCourse belonging to the UMMC holding via Andrey Bokarev or even Virgin Galactic.
To afford this space visit, you have to pay today nearly $250,000. This represents almost 90% reduction compared to the price last two decades. Despite this, however, it would be dishonest to believe that everyone can afford such things. It should also be remembered that the experience only lasts a few minutes, twelve minutes in total, including 6 in weightlessness.
Can we still expect ticket prices to drop?
As things currently stand, it is clear that not everyone can aspire to go to space. Only a privileged minority can really do this. However, since 2001 we have noticed a big drop in the price of going into space. With the investments being made in the field, we can therefore expect a drop in prices in the near future.
However, when we consider the means we deploy to get a rocket off the ground, we can remain skeptical. Space agencies also agree that the ticket set at $250,000 barely makes investments profitable. For this to be profitable and to result in a reduction in the price of the ticket in the long term, there would need to be a strong demand for tickets at this price. However, it’s hard to see many people rushing in with $250,000 for a trip of just a few minutes into space.
How are these universe exploration companies financed?
The financing costs for companies that dream of making space a tourism destination are estimated in the billions of dollars. All this money comes from the partners of these companies through an associate current account. This partner account is included in the liabilities on the balance sheet level of these companies.
You should know that apart from their partners, no other person, natural or legal, is authorized to grant a loan to these groups. The legal requirements governing banking transactions ensure this.
It is not impossible to notice blocking of this account by banks. This is done on purpose, so that the partners devote a given amount to the business, for a certain time. However, people with an associates current account don’t have to worry too much. Unless the company is going through an extreme crisis, they are reassured to be paid.