Consideration of a Space Wedding as a New Market for Commercial Space Flight
- Paper number
IAC-06-E3.P.4.01
- Author
Ms. Misuzu Onuki, Space Frontier Foundation, Japan
- Year
2006
- Abstract
Everyone all over the world thinks about a wedding as one of the most important events in their life. Both a wedding ceremony and a wedding trip are very special for every ethnic group in every country. For example, in Japan, 750,000 couples get married and 388,000 couples have a wedding ceremony and party per year. The current wedding market in Japan is worth US$3.9B. If space tourism will open the door for wedding opportunities, it must be exhilarating for everyone. Suborbital space weddings are for people who would like to have a wedding with a unique microgravity experience and a great Earth view .This experience could be realized within a few years, at the very beginning of commercial suborbital space flights. It must be an unforgettable lifetime experience in which you will have an extremely romantic opportunity with your partner in space.
Several companies in not only the U.S. but also Russia, Canada and so on, are developing suborbital and orbital space fleets. Some of them are vertical and the rest of them are horizontal or they are mixed types for suborbital takeoff and landing. There are also vertical launch vehicles for orbital flights. The first suborbital commercial space flight might be realized by the end of 2007 if the FAA will issue a launch license approval. Travel agents that sell space tourism packages have already booked hundreds of customers for space flights. The time has already come for space tourism, now ready for commercial space flights and a space wedding.
This paper considers the market and a business model for a space wedding as a commercial space activity. It discusses both the potential market based on existing bridal business and as a market research activity for space tourism and the possible ways to develop these new markets. To do that, this paper also describes a space wedding itself, considering the contents of a space wedding flight and its services. Especially, clothing for this wedding is one of the big concerns. The paper will mention space wedding clothing as one of the key elements for the space wedding market.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-E3.P.4.01.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.