The age of civilian space travel is upon us, but so far, the only civilians heading to rub shoulders with the ISS are the fabulously wealthy. However, one of humanity’s foremost space innovators has promised us that ‘almost anyone’ will be able afford to go.
This is great news for anyone who’s ever wanted to go into orbit. But there’s a big catch.
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If you had the chance to go to space, would you?
The thought of slipping the surly bonds of Earth and dancing in the skies is an appealing one.
According to a 2018 poll , 42% of Americans are definitely or probably interested in orbiting Earth, while the other 58% said they weren’t interested.
Some people are already making the trip.
Up until now, the space tourism industry has largely been restricted to those who are either well-connected or have deep pockets — or, in the case of Jeff Bezos, those who fit into both categories.
But that seems like it’ll change soon enough.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is leading the way.
It seems all but inevitable that Musk’s spaceflight company will eventually sell off trips to space — and he’s looking at heading to another planet, too. According to this 2019 tweet, he figures a round-trip ticket to Mars will eventually cost somewhere in the six-figure range, or possibly even less.
In 2022, Musk projected the hypothetical cost for a ticket to Mars at $100,000.
Musk specified this amount in an interview with TED Conferences head Chris Anderson. He says the amount will depend on volume and economics. Crucially, he said it’s important to keep the price point low in order to someday attract settlers to the red planet.
“Almost anyone” can afford it.
“If moving to Mars costs, for argument’s sake, $100,000, then I think almost anyone can work and save up and eventually have $100,000 and be able to go to Mars if they want,” Musk said.
Seriously?
While $100,000 might not be a lot to some people, it’s an absolute fortune to others. Even for those who are relatively affluent, $100,000 represents multiple cars, or the better part of the purchase of a house. It isn’t chump change.
“We want to make it available to anyone who wants to go.”
Musk wants to make tickets to Mars affordable, but he also seems to think that people will be willing to sell their assets in order to afford the ticket. It’s an example of tone-deaf rationale from a man whose net worth is in excess of $250 billion.
Musk wants Mars to be colonized by 2050.
In 2020, Musk said that he wants to launch three rockets to the red planet every day, leading to a population in excess of one million people on Mars by 2050.
It’s clearly a top priority for Musk, so we’ll see if his vision comes true.
Would you go to Mars?
Are you part of the 42 percent of Americans who’d like to go to space? If so, how much would you be willing to pay? Would you want to go all the way to Mars, or just take a couple of trips around your home planet?
Make sure to share your thoughts in the comments!
