Space tourism growing as companies work to send regular people to space
SPACE COAST, Fla. - Your future vacation could literally be out of this world.
Commercial companies want space to be for everyone, and the Space Coast is on the cutting edge of the space tourism industry. The company Orbite is bringing an astronaut training facility for regular people to Merritt Island. While the exact location is still under wraps, the CEO said they will break ground in 2024.
They're one of several companies eyeing a new era in space exploration.
"This is the first of its kind in the world," said Jason Andrews, CEO of Orbite Inc.
The state-of-the-art astronaut training facility coming to Merritt Island will feature different space experiences based on cost and how many visitors want to see and do in space. Andrews said space should be for the masses, and that’s what they’re creating.
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"We’re not Disneyland, he said. "This is a world-class astronaut training facility, but at the same time – we’ll have something available for everybody."
Whether people want to experience zero g's, use virtual reality, or train for lift-off, Andrews said we’re on the cusp of something new, and people will vacation in space.
"This decade will be a place for a few to go and vacation, but I think within the coming decades, it can be for a lot of people to go and vacation," he said.
Space tourism is taking off, and that means we need more infrastructure in low-earth orbit.
"We are addressing the energy problem," said Rhonda Stevenson, CEO of Above Space.
Stevenson’s team is working on a new project called Archimedes, which could provide power for future space stations.
"Those automated systems will then finance the growing space economy to allow for more habitable structures," she said.
FOX 35 asked if she saw a future where people on Earth are booking their next trip in space, and Stevenson does, once technology catches up.
"Oh, I absolutely do, and I see that on orbit destinations and low-earth orbit definitely," Stevenson said.
Above Space wants to eventually build Voyager Station, which will be a hotel in space. Stevenson said tourism depends on new technology that puts gravity in space.
Voyager Station concept by space tourism company Above.
"What will make space stations for tourism or any manned application will be artificial gravity," she concluded.
Something else influencing space tourism is the fact that it costs less money to launch rockets. What used to cost billions now costs millions, and experts said the costs will go down as more companies get involved in the industry.