Types of Space Tourism

Context:

Recently, Gopi Thotakura, an India-born commercial pilot based in the US, became the first space tourist from India. She, along with five other space tourists, made a short recreational trip to space.

Relevance:

GS III: Space

Dimensions of the Article:

1. Space Tourism
2. Karman Line

Space Tourism

Definition:

• A sector of the aviation industry offering tourists the chance to experience space travel for leisure, recreation, or business.

Market Growth:

• Valued at $848.28 million in 2023.
• Expected to reach $27,861.99 million by 2032.

Types of Space Tourism:

• Sub-orbital spaceflight:
  • Takes passengers just beyond the Kármán line (100 km above sea level).
  • Offers a few minutes in outer space before returning to Earth.
  • Example: Blue Origin’s New Shepherd mission.
• Orbital spaceflight:
  • Takes passengers to an altitude of nearly 1.3 million feet.
  • Passengers can spend from a few days to over a week in space.
  • Example: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 mission in September 2021 took four passengers to an altitude of 160 km for three days in orbit.

Challenges:

• Cost:
  • Typically, a passenger must pay at least a million dollars for the trip.
• Environmental Concerns:
  • Rockets emit gaseous and solid chemicals into the upper atmosphere.
  • A 2022 study by UCL, University of Cambridge, and MIT found rocket soot emissions significantly warm the atmosphere.
• Safety:
  • As of 2023, 676 people have flown into space with 19 fatalities, resulting in an approximate 3% fatality rate.

Karman Line

Definition:

• An imaginary boundary that marks the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space, situated at 100 km (62 miles) above sea level.

Origin:

• Named after aerospace pioneer Theodore von Kármán.
• Established by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) in the 1960s.

Significance:

• An aircraft or spacecraft crossing the Karman line is classified as a spaceflight.
• Individuals crossing this line are officially recognized as astronauts.

Characteristics:

• Aerodynamics vs Orbital Mechanics:
  • Below the Kármán line, flight is dominated by aerodynamic principles.
  • Above the line, orbital mechanics become more crucial.
• Atmospheric Conditions:
  • At the Karman line, the atmosphere is extremely thin.
  • Traditional aircraft relying on wings for lift struggle to function effectively due to the thin atmosphere.
  • Spacecraft above the Karman line require their own propulsion systems to maintain trajectory and counteract the minimal atmospheric drag.

-Source: Indian Express