A study and discussion on the cost issue of suborbital and orbital space tourisms
- Paper number
IAC-17,B3,2,7,x40256
- Author
Prof. Eva Yi-Wei Chang, University of Science & Technology, Taiwan, China
- Coauthor
Prof. Rock Jeng-Shing Chern, Ryerson University, Canada
- Year
2017
- Abstract
The major purposes of this paper are to study the current cost for suborbital and orbital space tourisms and to discuss the rationality. On 27 February 2017, SpaceX has announced it plans to launch two paying passengers on a tourist trip around the moon next year (2018). Two private citizens have paid money to be sent around the moon next year in what would mark the furthest humans have ever travelled to deep space, according to US tech company SpaceX. The tourists, who were not named, have already paid a significant deposit, SpaceX's statement added without specifying the amount. However, it could be believed that the amount is tens of millions US dollars per person. Between 2001 and 2009, 7 millionaires travelled 8 times to the International Space Station (ISS) by taking the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and launch vehicle systems. They were believed to have paid between 25 to 50 millions of US dollars per person per trip. In other words, the current space tourism is only affordable for millionaires and billionaires. Then, could this kind of tourism be called the real “tourism”? Or, it is more properly being called that the tourists are “showing off their wealth”? The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defined the tourism as people “traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes.” Although, there is no any definition for the cost, it could be commonly understood and agreed by the general public that the cost must be affordable by many tourists, not simply by a few very rich persons. Only under this condition, the tourism industry could be able “… to maximize the contribution of tourism to socio-economic development, … geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development.” as the UNWTO expected. Both the governmental and private sectors have the obligation to go towards that direction and to reach the goals.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-17,B3,2,7,x40256.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.