Formerly called the Spaceport America, the newly minted Virgin Galactic Gateway is up-and-running after years of deliberative planning, press exposure and construction. Finally, people will be able to conveniently travel to the stars -- remember to bring your credit card, though!
The space hub set Richard Branson and his innovative tourism company back $210 million; but that initial investment will be remade once the initially planned 450 flights are sold. Each sojourn will last approximately 2.5 hours, boasting five minutes of unadulterated weightlessness and panoramic views of Earth that few people have ever witnessed. It won't be cheap, however -- the asking price for a shuttle ticket out of the Virgin Galactic Gateway is $200,000! For the time being, the spaceflights have been grounded until SpaceShipTwo, Mothership and WhiteKnightTwo all complete testing next year.
So hold your breath and keep your debit card hidden; you'll need spare cash (and air) in space.
What's Driving This Trend
- Space Tourism
- There is an opportunity for the travel and tourism industry to innovate space-based tourist services.
- Commercial Spaceflight
- There is an opportunity for aerospace companies to innovate space vehicles that could carry more than six passengers and travel to further destinations in space.
- Space-based Research and Development
- There is an opportunity for the scientific industry to innovate space-based research and development services for commercial purposes.
Who This Affects Most
- Travel and Tourism
- The travel and tourism industry can invest in space tourism services, such as space hotels, to support spaceflights.
- Aerospace
- Aerospace companies could innovate space vehicles for space tourism and research purposes.
- Science
- The Scientific industry can focus on research and development of space-based technologies that could lead to commercial space missions.
