Many people in our world dream to be astronauts to visit space, experience a weaker gravitational pull, looking to the Earth from far away, and catching a glimpse of our spectacular world’s events. The dream may become real, with the SpaceX Crew Dragon Tourism trip that managed by Space Adventures.
Space Adventures, a big company that has been working in the field of space tourism trips for more than two decades, has signed its first contract with SpaceX for ‘SpaceX Crew Dragon Tourism Trip‘ by Feb 18, 2020. It aims to launch space tourists to the Low Earth orbit.
Space Adventures intends to break the world altitude record for private citizen spaceflight and offer its clients a view of the planet Earth in a way that no one has seen since the Gemini program.
This article discusses the following topics about SpaceX Crew Dragon Tourism Trip:
- How long has Space Adventures been working in the field of space tourism?
- How many tourists can travel aboard?
- Which spacecraft will launch the tourists?
- When is It expected to launch the spacecraft?
- How long does the tourism trip take?
- What kind of training required before the launch?
- Where will the spacecraft go?
- How much does the ticket cost?
- How many people visited so far?
- How does the view look like from the International Space Station ISS?
1. How long has Space Adventures been working in the field of Space tourism?
Space adventure has been working in the space tourism business since 1998, for more than two decades. In the 2000s, they successfully arranged eight orbital launches and visits to the International Space Station (ISS) for seven customers. Even though it recorded a noticeable activity in the 2000s, it has been inactive since then.
2. How many tourists will travel aboard in the SpaceX Crew Dragon Tourism Trip?
Space Adventures plans to send up to four people maximum in the first launch; however, the exact number may be less depending on the booked tickets.
3. Which Spacecraft is SpaceX going to use in the SpaceX Crew Dragon tourism trip?
The dedicated spacecraft for this mission is SpaceX Crew Dragon that will be launched using Falcon 9 rocket [1]. Falcon 9 rocket follows the same system used to transport NASA’s astronauts to the International Space Stations (ISS).
4. When is it expected to launch SpaceX crew dragon spacecraft for the tourism trip?
The Space Adventures trip could happen in Late-2021 to mid-2022.
5. How long does SpaceX Crew Dragon tourism trip take?
Space Adventures expects that the mission is going to take 3-5 days. Several factors determine the length of the mission, such as the consultation with clients, and SpaceX besides the technical factors that play the role.
6. What training will be for tourists who will book for the SpaceX Crew Dragon Tourism Trip?
The purpose of the mission is to experience the spaceflight by ordinary people who enjoy going to space. Thus, their training is significantly reduced compared with the astronauts’ training. The training will mainly focus on familiarizing the tourists with the Dragon spacecraft.
The training conduction will be in the USA as it hosts most of the potential customers. [1]
7. Where will SpaceX Crew Dragon tourism trip go?
The inevitable plan is to launch the spacecraft to the Low-Earth Orbit LEO (LEO: is an Earth-centered orbit with an altitude of 2,000 km/ 1,200 mi or less).
Following the previous successful visits that Space Adventures’ clients have experienced in their trips to the International Space Station (ISS), Space Adventures wants to take this tourism trip to the next level by offering its potential customers an even more exciting experience.
In SpaceX Crew Dragon tourism mission, Space Adventures plans to break the world altitude record for private citizen spaceflight where tourists can see the planet Earth in a way that no one has seen since the Gemini program, as they say.
Eric Anderson, chairman of Space Adventures, said
“Honoring our combined histories, this Dragon mission will be a special experience and a once in a lifetime opportunity — capable of reaching twice the altitude of any prior civilian astronaut mission or space station visitor,” [2]
8. How much does it cost to book a ticket for the SpaceX Crew Dragon Tourism Trip?
Space Adventures says that the price may vary depending on the number of clients, but it will be within the same range of price compared with its previously launched spaceflights [1]. Even though a ticket in the previous tourism spaceflights costs around 35$ million, Space Adventures doesn’t want to disclose more information about the pricing at this stage. It recommends its potential customer to contact its sales team for further inquiries and clarifications.
9. How many people visited space so far?
By March 10, 2020, and as per FAI criterion [3]:
-Total number of people who have been in space: 565 from 41 countries
-Number of people completed the sub-orbital flight: three
–Number of people who reached Earth orbit: 562
-Number of people who traveled beyond low Earth orbit: 24
-Number of people who walked on the moon: 12
10. How does the view look like from the International Space Station ISS?
SpaceX Crew Dragon Tourism Trip may take an altitude of 2 to 3 times higher than the altitude of the ISS. Thus, the photos that tourists can capture in this trip will be more mind-boggling than the following photo from ISS.
