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Commercial space travel and Space tourism

Conference Paper · December 2011

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 COMMERCIAL SPACE TRAVEL AND SPACE TOURISM
M. Annadurai, A. Krishnan, ¹S. A. Kannan, Rama Murali G K
ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore 560017, India

Abstract Keywords: Space Planes, Reusable Launch

This paper presents a concept of a Space Vehicles, expandable launch vehicles, Space
Travel Plan comprising of commercial and tourism tourism
segments. So far Space travel has been restricted only
to the Astronauts selected by the respective Space 1.INTRODUCTION:
Agencies. After the Apollo Moon landings, NASA
turned its focus to the Space Shuttle program “It is difficult to say what is impossible.
projecting the idea of low cost access to Space. This Yesterday’s dream is today’s hope and tomorrow’s
led a generation of Apollo enthusiasts to believe that reality”- Robert Goddard
Space tourism would come to be established within Throughout human history there has always
the reach of the general public although at a cost. The been a strong drive to explore and travel to new and
Soyuz-Apollo missions, MIR Space station and the exciting places. The exploration of the cosmos has
Freedom International Space station all seemed to been in the imagination of humanity since mankind
strengthen the idea that Space tourism and first looked at the night sky. Since the beginning of
commercial Space travel would be realised by the
turn of the last century.
space age, possibility of space flights within the
Till now commercial utilisation of Space has reach of general public has been one of the
continued to be the main agenda of most of the space- undeclared agenda for space-faring nations.
faring nations. For commercial Space travel and Space travel is the next logic step for tourists.
tourism to come down to the level of economic Space tourism is aimed at providing services for
feasibility, new approaches to technological humans to access and experience space for
innovations are needed. Reusable Launch vehicles are adventure and recreation. A space tourist would be
the key elements in the realisation plan. At present, a person who travels to and experiences space for
fully reusable launch vehicles are in the design stage. adventure and recreational activities specific to
Although the Space Shuttle is an incredible machine,
it is complex, labour-intensive, very expensive, partly
outer space. This definition excludes communities
only reusable, and has a less perfect safety record. of Astronauts who journey to outer space for
With the decision of NASA to end the shuttle professional activities.
program, low cost access to space can be the next big The United Nations World Tourism Organization
thrust program. (UNWTO) defines tourists as people who “travel to
With the current status of technological development and stay in places outside their usual environment
it is possible to design and develop space planes which for more than twenty-four hours and not more than
can take-off and make a perfect return from orbit on one consecutive year for leisure, business and other
auto pilot only, whether it is night or day and purposes not related to the exercise of an activity
regardless of weather conditions. Future space planes
remunerated from within the place visited”.
should promise dramatic increases in space flight
safety levels for launch, re-entry, and landing. The Considering the rigours of space travel, these
technology and challenge will be to combine the figures may be appropriately modified to a nominal
relative simplicity of expendable rockets with the duration from 15 minutes to 7 days depending on
reliability and safety of airplanes, to end up with a whether it is suborbital or orbital flight.
safe, economic launch vehicle.
Developing a passenger space travel analogous to air
2. SPACE TOURISM
travel has a great potential from economical, social
and international-relations points of view. Passenger Space tourism as an evolutionary process has
Space travel can start by augmenting and innovating already started with the first non-professional
already existing technology. It is likely to grow into astronaut paying for a trip to outer space. Mr. Denis
the largest commercial activity in space. Space Tito became the first private space tourist when, in
tourism can no longer be treated as fiction but as the 2001, he travelled to space as a fare paying tourist.
next logical step in evolution of spaceflight. Although the flight involved a government vehicle,
Addressing all the inherent risks in space travel is one
his participation in it was privately funded. Further
of the daunting tasks but as usual human civilisation
can march along by doing the seemingly impossible. progress in space tourism depends very much on
The paper explains the different issues that need to be various technical issues like re-usable technology
addressed in the various phases of such a mission. and other related developments which are specific
Although extensive space tourism market studies are requirements for space tourism.
surely needed to make reliable forecasts and Space related tourism is today restricted to
estimates, and to attract investors, it is expected that adventures and recreation opportunities that are
the space tourism business could grow to be an related to space but remain terrestrial. Such
economically very important sector. terrestrial-based opportunities help to increase the
___________________________________

¹Corresponding author: sakannan @ isac..gov.in

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market potential for actual space tourism by statistic is 1 in 250 chance of a catastrophic failure
making the client crave for the real space tourism [2].
experience. Adventure tourism is a large and The third generation space vehicles are expected
growing market. It may be the branching arm into to come into use around 2025[2]. Although flights
space tourism related activities. With current with the third generation launch vehicles will be
market trends it is clear that there is a huge quite expensive, the prices could be low enough to
potential market for space tourism. make flights possible for the first adventurous
The space tourism market will evolve through individuals with an average income that provides
different phases, starting with adventure tourists for saving some months or a year of their salary for
exploring space travel by paying several million their dream flight.
dollars for a space journey and stabilising into a Access to space for less than $50 per kg, and with it
well developed tourist market with lower prices the possibility for mass space tourism, is hoped to
and easy accessibility. Current market surveys arrive with the fourth generation of reusable
indicate that on an average 80% of people between launchers, and envisioned to be operational around
ages of 20 and 29 are interested in space travel [1]. 2040 [2]. This generation of vehicles are
Several industry competitors are aiming for this envisioned to be airplane like, air-breathing
market by providing Earth-based space related vehicles based on new super light materials, will
tourism activities. One of the biggest strengths of have efficient rocket engines, and will require no
the emerging space tourism is the strong economic more maintenance than a modern airliner.
rational with government and private sector In Japan, plans for future crewed spacecraft
support. seriously take into account possibilities and
The tourism industry represents 10% of the world requirements for space tourism. The egg-shaped
economy [2]. It is an industry capable of pushing Kankohmaru of the Japanese Rocket Society is a
governments and private entities into building a study concept for a fully re-usable single stage
cost effective reusable launch vehicle, which will spacecraft [2]. It is a reusable rocket without wings
give better means for further human space that would take off and land vertically. Specifically
exploration. designed for space tourism, it would be able to
Government input could help private investors carry 50 passengers into orbit. The vehicle would
narrow this gap and establish niche markets. This is weigh about 5,50,000 kg at launch, be constructed
truly needed since the high investment cost and the from mainly lightweight aluminium and composite
long term payback period are discouraging private materials and use 12 rocket engines operating on
initiatives. liquid hydrogen and oxygen[2].
3.1 Present-day technology and challenges
3. SPACE TRANSPORTATION
The risk factor in current launch vehicles is
Space transportation is still an expensive
quite high compared to Air travel because the
industry. Only the USA-Space Shuttle and Russian-
design margin for vehicle safety is low. Rocket
Soyuz capsule can carry humans into space today at
engines operate at extremely high pressures to
higher-end cost of about US $20,000 per kg [2].
generate sufficient thrust, which in turn puts heavy
Efforts to expand range of human travel-rated
loads on the launcher’s structure. And they use
vehicle have not succeeded till today. Projects like
large amounts of extremely dangerous, explosive
Hermes, Hope-X, and Buran shuttles are still under
propellants. Therefore safety for the space tourist
various stages of design and development. Various
from Launch vehicle malfunction is of the utmost
engineering limitations related to propulsion, high-
importance.
temperature withstanding structures etc. will have
Commercial jetliners coming from the factory
to be overcome before a commercially viable space
usually make a few test flights to ensure that its air-
vehicle is realised leading to a drop in the price of
worthiness before being handed over to the
the transportation. Technology developments must
customer. On similar lines a space-flight
also take environmental aspects such as noise
worthiness certification is a must for Launch
pollution, space debris production and deep impact
Vehicles.
into account.
With the current rocket engine and materials
In USA, NASA is planning to have its true second technology, even expendable launchers are heavy
generation of reusable launchers operational and hardly powerful enough to make it into space
around 2020. With a goal to limit the cost per without discarding parts of them along the way;
launch to around $6000 per kg payload , much less rocket stages are jettisoned as their propellant tanks
than the current $20,000 per kg [2] to LEO; but still run empty. These stages fall in the ocean or crash
far too expensive for a viable space tourism on the land and cannot be used again. A truly
industry. New Launch Vehicle is also to be 20 reusable launcher cannot benefit from such a
times safer than Shuttle. Space Shuttle’s current simple staging system, but still must be able to take
larger satellites to orbit.

2
Another problem is that today’s rocket engines can partly only reusable, and has a less perfect safety
only be operated for 10 minutes or so before major record.
maintenance activities or new motors are required.
Jet engines, as used in modern airliners, last for 3.4 Space Planes- a feasible option for space
month with no technical issues. transportation:
A choice has to be made in the following basic With the current status of technological
questions: development it is possible to design and develop
• Free-flying vehicle vs orbital facility space planes which can take-off and make a perfect
• One vs Two stages return from orbit on auto pilot only, whether it is
• Rockets vs combination with air-breathing night or day and regardless of weather conditions.
• Horizontal vs Vertical takeoff/landing Conceptually a Space plane [2] is three
vehicles combined into one. During launch it is a
3.2 Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) in space rocket, depending on the thrust of its powerful
transportation: engines to gain sufficient altitude and to accelerate
A truly reusable launcher that is easy to to the orbital velocity. In space, the space plane is a
maintain is needed to lower the price of launching satellite, kept in orbit by balance between Earth’s
passengers and cargo into space. Preferably, the gravity and the centrifugal force caused by the
system should involve only one single stage vehicle vehicle’s circular movement around the planet. To
without expendable tanks or boosters. come back to Earth, the bigger engines are fired
The launcher could be designed to have combined opposite to the flight direction, slowing the space
rocket/jet engine that can use oxygen in the plane down so that it falls back into atmosphere.
atmosphere while flying at relatively low altitudes. The vehicle changes into airplane, with its wings
This would mean less onboard propellant, smaller creating sufficient lift for a smooth glide back to
tanks and, therefore a smaller, lighter vehicle. Earth’s surface.
Development of Launchers that fit all of the The technology and challenge will be to combine
stringent space-travel requirements is of primary the relative simplicity of expendable rockets with
importance. the reliability and safety of airplanes, to end up
As long as launches are expensive, the number of with a safe, economic launch vehicle.
satellites and people to be launched each year During step-wise test campaigns similar to those of
remains small. Reusable launchers only become commercial or military aircraft, space planes could
economical at high launch rates, so their be tested much more thoroughly than ordinary,
development and operation are not justified for expandable rockets. They could have higher safety
such a limited market. Expendable launchers margins and more backup systems, and enable safe
therefore remain in use, launch cost remain high aborts during the entire launch phase. The Space
and, in turn, the satellite market stays small. Shuttle, with its various abort scenarios, is partly a
Space tourism may help out, as it offers a clear, space plane, but still depends on expendable rocket
large market worth billions of dollars per year [2], technology.
where success depends on efficient, reusable Future space planes should promise dramatic
vehicles that are making numerous flights. increases in space flight safety levels for launch, re-
Reusable launchers developed for space tourism entry, and landing. They should constantly be
can reduce launch costs dramatically, enabling not under full control, be able to come back from space
only regular tourist flights but also cheap satellite at almost any time (day, night, even in bad
launches. This would offer an enormous boost for weather), need not rely on rescue teams and
the exploration of the solar system, the colonization parachutes for recovery. Moreover, space planes
of the planets, the construction of space factories should offer safe abort possibilities during almost
and solar power-generating satellites, and other all flight phases. Just as airliners are generally safer
possibilities which many have probably not yet than balloons, parachutes, and fighter aircraft, true
been identified. space planes could also improve safety levels for
Development of Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) human spaceflight. Advanced space planes should
would be a major drive for space tourism. be designed to be just as safe as modern airliners,
thus making mass space tourism a possibility.
3.3 Space Shuttle for space transportation:
The Space Shuttle is an incredible machine. It 4. SAFETY MEASURES AND REGULATIONS
is the first and only reusable spacecraft, a heavy lift In USA, the space planes operated by Orbital
launch vehicle that can also return heavy cargos, a Destinations are all subject to the rules of the
spacecraft that, to date, has delivered three times Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which
more people to orbit and brought them back than certifies the passenger launch vehicles and license
all other launchers combined, and has the most companies operating these spacecraft. The FAA
efficient rocket engines ever produced. However, it regulations for space planes are an extension of
is also complex, labour-intensive, very expensive, those for airplanes and have been established to

3
ensure the reliability of the vehicles and operators commercial space transportation in the US FAA is
and the safety of the passengers. The FAA is an US already working in this direction, including
government organization, to prevent commercial studying the extension of air traffic control to Earth
interests from becoming more important than safety Orbit and medical guidelines for space travel
standards. They also supervise the Air and Space passengers.
Traffic Control during atmospheric flight With a total of about 240 human space missions to
The exposure to microgravity is short for suborbital date, the average fatal accident is 1 per 60 flights.
flights so the effects on endovascular, This is extremely high when compared to
neurovestibular, and musculoskeletal systems are commercial aviation: taking a plane to go on
small. Effects of radiation and space motion holidays exposes to only 1 in 2 million probability
sickness are also limited due to short term nature of of not arriving at the destination. Even parachuting
the flight. This means that medical requirements is very safe in comparison, with only about one
can be nominal and a set of guidelines, rather than fatal accident per 100,000 jumps [2].
selection criteria, can be set up for passengers. A new type of rocket is usually declared
Crew medical standards will be based on what operational after only one or two flights, while
exists for commercial airline pilots and astronaut typically 1000 test flights are made with one single
pilots, taking into account maximum radiation plane before a new airliner goes to service.
exposure limits. Mass space tourism will probably require a safety
Radiation is everywhere, also on Earth. It not only level close to that of today’s airlines; otherwise the
comes from space but also out of ground. The market will be too small. Not many people will be
average dose of radiation picked up on the surface comfortable making a spaceflight that is more
of Earth is about 2.6 milli-Sieverts per year [2]. dangerous than flying on an airliner. Moreover, the
However, radon gas coming from the ground or out insurance fees would be prohibitively high
gassed from concrete in new buildings can result in
levels that are five times higher. Spacecraft can be 5. COMMERCIAL ASPECTS OF SPACE
shielded from this normal background radiation by TOURISM
dense materials, such as metals but also by water Growing work on the feasibility of developing
tanks. However, only a limited amount of shielding a passenger space travel industry analogous to air
can be applied otherwise spacecraft would be too travel shows that it has potentially great economic
heavy to launch value; that it would be a very popular service and
Personnel working in nuclear plants are allowed requires far less investment than space agencies
annual dose of some 10 times higher than the already receive; and that substantially funding for
normal exposure on Earth [2]. Using this as a work on this possibility is very desirable from
standard for space tourism would result in a many points of view, economically, socially,
maximum total spaceflight duration of 10weeks per politically and internationally.
year. This should fit with nearly anyone’s annual Surveys performed in Japan, Canada, USA,
holiday schedule, but for the staff of space tourism Germany and England all has a similar pattern,
operators it would be a severe limitation. Probably with most people being keen to make a visit to
space planes pilots and other space tourism workers space.
would be required to rotate between space and It seems probable that popular space travel services
earth based jobs, working most of the year on the can grow throughout 21st century much as air
ground to reduce the radiation effect. Total lifetime travel services grew during 20th century. Indeed, in
radiation dose restrictions may also result in limited view of the growth and globalization of the world
orbit career durations. However, during solar flares economy and financial system over the past 100
phenomenon a result in doses of thousands of milli years, it seems possible that while the air travel
Sieverts, up to 20,000, which can be fatal. took about 100 years from its start in 1903 to reach
In the past, astronauts had estimated 1 in 250 a turnover of $1 trillion/year, space travel might
chance of not surviving a Space Shuttle mission reach that figure within 50 years [3].
[2]. Although at that time this was “par for the In recent years, many small firms have been
course”, a similar reliability figure today would emphasising that it is much more attractive to start
mean one unacceptable Orbital Destinations space with suborbital space tourism, because:
plane crash each year. The corresponding figure for • The required technology is much less
Commercial airline passengers is only 1 in 2 complex
million [2]. Therefore, every effort is to be made in • Ticket costs are much lower
both the design and the operation of the space • The up-front investments are more in the
planes to minimize risks and also the insurance range of millions, not billions
costs. As a successful orbital space tourism business, the
A range of regulations are needed, notably in order Space Shuttle would be far too expensive.
to preserve public safety and enable the insurance Assuming that a passenger module for 74 space
industry to play its role efficiently. The office of tourists could be installed in the Cargo bay of the

4
 Orbiter and that 12 flights per year could be made, capability of companies to deliver them.
the ticket price would be around $3.6 million [2]. Unconventional sources of financing may be
While there are probably a number of people required to overcome the difficulties of risk and
willing to pay such an amount for a space flight payback period.
experience, flying 74 of them at the same time In summarizing the future visions of space tourism,
would very shortly deplete the limited available we place no limits to our imaginations. Until the
market. Moreover, the Shuttle turnaround time of humanity’s strong will to keep exploring and
around 3 months would be unacceptable for a large developing the technologies goes on, anything is
scale space tourism operation. possible. Nevertheless, we must face realities of the
To start with, sub-orbital passenger space travel known understanding of the physics of the
can start using existing technology. The key to universe, monetary allocation to projects, political
reducing launch costs is not developing new and societal will, and time. We live in an ambitious
technology but addressing a sufficiently large period; we are at a threshold of opening space for
market. people who dream to see, hear, feel, taste, and
The key issue for reducing launch costs is not experience what wonders the cosmos has to offer.
technical but commercial-to target a market which Space tourism will become a reality. The barriers
can grow large enough to amortise the vehicle that prevents Space Tourism is financing of
development cost, and to generate sufficiently development cost of new launch vehicles.
voluminous operating statistics to achieve Technologically, there are no major concerns in
acceptable levels of reliability and safety. developing sub-orbital planes for Space Tourism.
In order to realize passenger space travel as soon as Space Tourism can play a seminal role in future
possible, collaborations could make most effective because it represents a huge market. More surveys
use of existing technologies. Space agencies’ of and studies are required to determine the size of the
expenditures of some $20 billion/year, if invested market, but current studies indicate that Space
commercially, could generate revenues growing by Tourism can provide the necessary launch volume
some $29 billion/year, earning 10% annual return to achieve cheap access to space. For these reasons,
profits on their investment, or some $2 billion governmental role in funding for development of
annual profits, and creating of the order of 1 new launch vehicles and providing a good,
million new jobs/year [3]. stringent legal framework for the industry becomes
The only way in which enormous investment in important.
space technology can start to earn an economic
return is through the development of a space References:
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paradigm for post-cold war, 21st century space Tourism-from dream to reality”, , International
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business and a major economical factor as the [2] Pelt, Michel, “Space Tourism-Adventures in
limited market surveys done so far indicate that the Earth and Beyond”, Van-Copernicus
many people are interested in going into space. One books, New York
survey [2] concluded that about 70 percent of the [3] Daniel O’Neil, Ivan Bakery, John Mankins,
Japanese want to make such a trip and that most of Thomas Rogers and Eric Stallmer, “General
them are willing to pay at least three months of Public Space Travel and Tourism-Volume-1
salary to make a flight. A recent market study by Executive Summary”, NASA Summary of a
Futron Corporation indicates that commercial space Space Act agreement study, Washington DC,
tourism could generate over $1 billion revenues by February 19-21, 1997
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6. CONCLUSION Space Policy: Realising Space Tourism”, 51st
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