SPACE travel may only as an option for the uber rich at present, but costs should come down as more competition enters the market, the closing session of IBTM Wired heard.
Stephen Attenborough, Virgin Galactic’s commercial director, was one of the online keynote speakers on the last day of the hybrid event in Singapore.
Virgin Galactic has developed a fleet of commercial spacecraft built to bring people into space and back safely. A spokesman for IBTM Wired said this offered potential as business event organisers sought to create unique experiences for clients.
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To date fewer than 600 people have actually been into space. Attenborough said most people would like to experience space travel, but extremely few expect that aspiration to become a reality, even though it can de done.
“We’re standing at the dawn of a new space age,” he said. “This will transform our business and personal lives.”
December 2018 was the first time that a crewed vehicle built for commercial use put people into space and brought them back safely. “We’re not just looking to take a few people into space, we’re looking to take thousands of people,” Attenborough said.
“This is not space for someone else, this is space for us.”
Although the cost for entry is high – at present a ticket costs US$250,000 – Attenborough said this cost should come down due to rising competition.
