This is according to an analysis by PITCHBOOK. According to the analysts, before flying humans into space, advanced uses of satellites should be exhausted and the problem of space debris should be addressed, but the budget for this may be reached thanks to these gimmicks.
On Sunday this week (July 11, 2021), the founder of the space tourism company Virgin Galactic took off together with three other citizens and two pilots to a suborbital altitude (and there is a debate whether this is officially space or not). In doing so, he was ahead of Jeff Bezos and his brother who are supposed to carry out a similar project on July 20.
The billionaire space race is a publicity stunt but may help promote the space economy. This is according to an analysis by the analyst company and the investment platform PITCHBOOK. According to the analysts, before flying humans into space, advanced uses of satellites should be exhausted and the problem of space debris should be addressed, but the budget for this may be reached thanks to these gimmicks.
Billionaire Richard Branson's spaceflight is a media event that is ideal for the Internet and shows that Virgin Galactic is almost ready to take super-rich tourists on celestial journeys. This is according to an analysis by the analyst company and the investment platform PITCHBOOK
The launch window for the Unity spacecraft comes just nine days before Amazon founder Jeff Bezos hopes to make his maiden visit to space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. Branson insists it's not a space race, but this comparison seems inevitable, perhaps because it's fun to think that the lives of billionaires are dominated by small, petty dramas, like our own.
The "billionaire launches" operation proves in the clearest way to date how private investors have snatched the torch of space exploration from the grip of the pride and ambition of countries. The emerging venture-backed space economy is now beginning to affect life on Earth in beneficial ways.
Still, some would say that the event does not flatter our company. There is an ugly irony in the fact that the billionaires are pushing the limits of the country's gravity shortly after most of the world has broken year-long heat records. And worse, these heat waves have been exacerbated by decades of excess and inaction on the part of the people of the rich countries.
If this is your feeling, take comfort in knowing that the journey to space is still no picnic, despite great improvements in launch technologies in recent decades.
Before liftoff, the first space tourists will reportedly be required to indemnify their companions against death and injury, and they will pay dearly for the experience: around $250,000 or more.
The journey to the edge of space is also a gut-wrenching event. Whoever manages to avoid throwing up on his face shield will enjoy sights that are out of this world and create a memory that will make the rest of his life seem boring.
Another reason for optimism: these events are advertising and marketing gimmicks for the entire space technology industry, bringing more attention and money to opportunities that help us all.
Orbiting around the Earth seems very far away, but the race to space among the capital tycoons has affected the global markets in ways that are hard to ignore.
Another eight space companies are seeking to merge with Spak companies
Let's not forget, Virgin Galactic's 2019 SPAC deal was the catalyst for the SPAC gold rush. There are now at least eight space technology companies that have completed or are planning to go public through a merger with Spak, according to data from PitchBook.
Missile maker SpaceX is now the second-largest venture capital-backed company in the U.S., according to PitchBook data, and has apparently raised more than $6 billion. And if it weren't for his love of the stars, Bezos might not have passed the role of CEO of Amazon to its new director, Andy Jaci.
Worldwide, space technology startups managed to raise $5.5 billion in venture capital last year, setting a record that 2021 is on track to break, according to data from PitchBook.
People do like to talk about space tourism and colonies on Mars, but the space economy exists today to serve Earth's economy, as Ryan Vaswani detailed in a new report on the sector. Some of these services are very useful to humanity, including tools to deal with climate change.
For example, the company with the appropriate name Holm Planet sells Earth observation data launched from satellites and used to manage our Earth's resources. Startups using this data have found ways to monitor forests for carbon offsets (see Pachama), track greenhouse gas emissions (GHGSat), and predict environmental changes (Salo Sciences).
Internet service for remote areas
SpaceX's Starlink web service recently went live for early adopters testing it. And despite occasional periods of unreliable connections, reviewers described it as underpowered in areas without broadband infrastructure.
In time, the earth-centered paradigm will begin to shift. As our network of satellites and stations grows, we will begin to see an upgrade of the space economy." Eventually we may develop some kind of infrastructure that allows us to leave Earth for longer periods, but that reality is very far off.
In the near term, the proliferation of satellites has resulted in a growing threat posed by space debris. Left unchecked, there is a distinct possibility that accidental collisions of satellites with artificial space debris could wipe out the infrastructure of low-Earth orbiting satellites.
Like any global common denominator - air, ocean, polar regions - the orbit around the earth is a shared resource that requires collective agreement and action. In their own way, Bezos and Branson promise that we will all start paying.
As the drama between Branson and Bezos captures the public's attention, it will also renew the focus of policymakers. This is a good thing, because some of the most influential rules governing the conduct of space originate as far back as the Cold War.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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In my opinion, it should be established that an "astronaut" can be considered someone who at least has undergone sufficient training to do something useful in space, related to the very act of being in space, or operating the spacecraft's instruments. It is better to determine this before we are flooded with tourists "astronauts" whose entire achievement is that they jumped from one side of the padded cell to the other. Sooner or later things will move in this direction, or the title will lose its value completely.
In my opinion, it should be established that "the limit of space" is an orbital flight, otherwise it is barbara.
I would be a little careful about saying things that are still "very far away". Once some technologies mature their cutting edge can create incredibly fast revolutions. If we take the gradual improvement in assembly line technology, rubber, internal combustion engines and oil production we get the automobile revolution. This is how almost every coup happened.
Regarding the space economy, I cannot say what all the necessary components are that must be matured, but the main barrier I see is the price of putting cargo into orbit (and beyond). If the starship succeeds, even partially, it will still lower the main bar for entry into space. Not to mention all the interesting launch ventures around:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Sfw58jApo