Ever since the era of space travel began in the 1950s, the question has lingered – when will space travel be available to everyone? Can you get a tan on the Moon? And will NASA do all-inclusive?
There’s lots to think about when planning a holiday. Do you want somewhere you can spend all day on a sun lounger drinking cocktails, a bustling city with plenty of historic sites to see, or a quiet country getaway surrounded by the beauty of nature?
Or maybe you’re looking for something completely different – have you thought about a holiday in space? Ever since the era of space travel began in the 1950s, the question has lingered – when will space travel be available to everyone? Can you get a tan on the Moon? And will NASA do all-inclusive?
In 1969 – the year of the first Moon landing – The Observer predicted we’d be able to take holidays on the Moon within 30 years. More than five decades later we’re still waiting.
In April 2001, American businessman Dennis Tito became the world’s first space tourist. He paid $20million for a flight aboard Russian spacecraft Soyuz TM-32, and spent seven days on the International Space Station (ISS). And since then only a handful of private citizens have made the trip above the atmosphere.
American company Space Adventures flew seven tourists to the station between 2001 and 2009, at a cost of up to $25m per person. But Russia halted flights to the ISS in 2010 after the size of crews on the station was increased.
In 2016 Moon Express announced plans to run holidays to the lunar surface – for £8,000 a ticket – within 10 years. Founder Naveen Jain said: “The sky is not the limit for Moon Express – it is the launchpad. This breakthrough ruling is another giant leap for humanity.
“Space travel is our only path forward to ensure our survival and create a limitless future for our children. In the immediate future, we envision bringing precious resources, metals and moon rocks back to Earth.”
Although the company had secured permission from the US Federal Aviation Administration to take off from Earth and land on the Moon, it later abandoned the plans,and today works supporting NASA.
In 2019, NASA announced plans to allow private astronauts to visit the ISS at a cost of $35,000 per night, plus $50m for the flights there and back. But if you thought making sure your vaccinations were topped up before you can go on holiday was a hassle, space tourism might not be for you. Anyone planning on taking one giant leap has to undergo training and meet a number of rigorous health and fitness checks.
Jeffrey Manber, who previously led Mir Corp, which ran the former Russian space station for two years, is one of many who envisions a future where “everyday people will be living, working, and playing in space”.
“We will see space hotels, we will see outposts for professional astronauts, and we’ll see in the next decade about 10 private space stations — some automated, some for tourists, some for professional astronauts,” he said.
Billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson have all long spoken about a desire to make commercial space travel a reality. Musk’s SpaceX has already carried out some flights, while Bezos himself took part in an 11-minute space flight in 2021 – taking Star Trek’s Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner, with him.
But it’s clear holidays in space aren’t going to be something we’ll all be enjoying in the near future. The high cost and limited slots mean only a very select few will get to head to the stars. Bezos’ Blue Origin announcing last week it was laying off about 10 per cent of its workforce – around 1,400 people – will only delay this further.