How to Get There

Abstract

The explosion in private wealth over the past few years means a surprisingly large number of people can afford US$250,000 Virgin Galactic flights. To get some idea of how viable the suborbital spaceflight business might be, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a study and concluded that more than 1,000 people a year would likely purchase suborbital space tours – that’s US$250 million in revenue per year just for Virgin Galactic. The study also estimated about 80% of demand for suborbital flights would come from wealthy individuals interested in space tourism, while business, research, and government would account for about 20%, which is great news for those who don’t have a million-dollar-plus annual income. Another interesting and positive statistic for those in the business of launching people into space is that, globally, there are 11 million high-net-worth individuals with over US$1 million in liquid assets (according to consulting firm Capgemini). Some of these wealthy individuals have already bought tickets. They include celebrities Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber, and Tom Hanks, who got a taste for weightlessness while filming Apollo 13. The jet-set list also includes retired Formula One aces Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, and Niki Lauda, as well as an assortment of wealthy businessmen such as real estate magnate Ashish Thakkar and Danish investment banker Per Wimmer. If you would like to join them, just visit the Virgin Galactic website and click “Booking” or visit an accredited space agent:

Buying a ticket to space – even suborbital space – is expensive. So what options are there for getting your human-tended payload – you! – into space? If you happen to be a wealthy individual, you can simply hand over your cash to an accredited space travel agent, but if you’re a scientist, chances are your options are more limited. This chapter explains some of the strategies you can employ to fly in space and offers some last-minute considerations.