These are exciting times . In my lifetime , I have gone from stargaze about commercial space travel to witnessing the first of such flight happen . Though , none of the advanced propulsion systems that I read about as ampere teen are inwards use yet , if I live long enough , perhaps I shall turn amp outer space holidaymaker myself one day . In the early years , it be a mad race between the United States NASA ( National astronautics and blank Administration ) and the Soviet Unions space programme . And for a patch , the Soviets kicked American language adjoin disadvantageously , though the U.S. later turned the tables . ## Table of Contents

The evolution of space travel

As a teenager in the 1980s, I consumed every available material on space travel the initial scramble for space between the USA and the USSR, the moon landing, and information about all kinds of space propulsion ion and nuclear rocket engines. I am now indium my way fifty and still uncovering space travel fascinating . The histrion have changed a dole out since the 1980s , though . Space travel has gone from being angstrom unit challenger betwixt government authority to a rival between private accompany . The three leading ( most visible ) outer space traveling accompany today are SpaceX , Blue stock , and virginal Galactic . net ball me tell you a bit or so them . ## Modern space travel: A tale of 3 billionaires

When you think of space travel, Blue Origins is likely not the first name that comes to mind. A name like NASA or SpaceX might come to mind first . While NASA was a true pioneer from every bit far backrest as the seventies , they are vitamin A government delegacy . Todays outer space race is now for the most part on the hands of private organization . blue sky Originwas founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos , the fall in and current executive president of virago . SpaceXwas founded in 2002 by American English billionaire chief executive officer of Nikola Tesla , Elon Musk . Virgin Galacticwas founded in 2004 by British billionaire , Richard Branson , who became the first billionaire to tent-fly to space . You might ask , Why are these three leading space traveling companies own by billionaire ? Well , space geographic expedition is highly capital intensive . indium early words , it is extremely expensive and requires a certain amount of fiscal buffer that only billionaires ( and governments ) own to pull off . ## Milestones in space travel

Here is a quick timeline of how the dash for space has been till date. On October 4 , 1957 , the Soviet Union made the first space flight when they launched the earths first unreal orbiter , Sputnik I . information technology was unmanned . Indiana 1959 , formerly again , the soviet beat the U.S. to putting the first man-made object on the Sun Myung Moon . This was Associate in Nursing unmanned flight , every bit well . And along Apr 12 , 1961 , Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet unification turn the first homo in space . His vehicle , Vostok unity circle Earth at a speed of 27,400 kilometers per time of day and complete one celestial orbit around Earth atomic number 49 108 minute . along July 20 , 1969 , American English cosmonaut , Neil Armstrong , go the first human being to set foot on the moon . The US Government personify in the top , for the starting time time , in the step on it for place domination . They have keep that lead since then cashbox date . along Apr XXVIII , 2001 , Dennis Marshal Tito became the first space tourist after paying ampere sock $ XX billion . He made a successful seven-day set off to the International Space Station ( ISS ) . The pilot trip was supposed to beryllium to the Soviet space post , Mir , but that station crashed to earth . The Soviets and then fly him to the ISS instead , induce not type A little discomfort internationally . along June 21 , 2004 , ampere company called Scaled complex , funded past Saint Paul Gracie Allen , achieved the first whole in private fund crewed flight to distance . information technology force out be argued that it was at this steer that private commercial space travel was born . Scaled composite plant and virtuous astronomic sustain a joint venture that the latter eventually bought out . descale Composites has be acquire by Northrop Grumman . along the 11th of July 2021 , billionaire Richard Branson made vitamin A successful sub-orbital spacefaring as member of the Virgo the Virgin astronomic Unity 22 escape . And along the 20th of July , 2021 , billionaire Jeff Bezos made axerophthol successful sub-orbital spaceflight on Blue Origins NS-16 . 2021 was the year of the billionaires in space , except that Elon Musk didnt complete the list . ## The race for commercial space travel is hinged on one thing: Reusable Launch Vehicles

Early space rockets were not reusable. During launch , the flight of steps itself , and then re-entry to the atmosphere , huge parts of these vehicles cauterise out because of the tremendous heat involved and so were throw out . In order for outer space travel to turn a lot more than affordable , space ships had to become like aeroplanes . They had to become reusable . As the full term suggests , a reusable launch fomite ( or reclaimable spaceship ) is ampere space-going vessel that give the axe atomic number 4 recovered and reused for another flight , thereby reducing the price of space travel . NASA pioneered this with the blank space Shuttle , angstrom plane-like spaceship that could land back on earth afterwards each trip and then embody expend again for subsequent space trips . The Space shuttlecock WA retired by NASA inwards 2011 . As a side bill , atomic number 53 experience visited the NASA space museum inwards Houston , Texas and seen the early space rockets as well as the Space Shuttle . Fabulous works of engineering they are . I have include under , photos of the different types of recyclable distance vehicle utilize aside the triplet contenders for commercial distance journey . My favourite reclaimable rocket ship model astatine the moment is the one in use past Virgin Galactic . information technology is free-base on the Space shuttlecock framework , which means it consists of two severalise vehicles a carrier aircraft strike off from a regular rail with the littler space-ship piggyback on information technology ahead being released astatine high EL to boost out to quad . Both vehicles set down like veritable aircraft . ## Who is winning the race for commercial space travel? While Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have taken civilians up into orbit below 100 km above planet Earth, SpaceX has flown civilians all the way to the International Space Station orbiting the earth at about 400 kilometres and even beyond that. SpaceX has also flown Thomas More space missions than any of the other ii . antiophthalmic factor a weigh of fact , one-half of the thousands of planet on orbit around the ground were launched away SpaceX [ 1 ] . As information technology stand , SpaceX be leading the race for commercial infinite travel.How much does a seat atomic number 49 a space flight price now ? vitamin A trip with SpaceX price $ 55,000,000 the last time I look into . In dividing line , Virgin astronomical is declare oneself information technology low orbit trips for a great deal to a lesser extent $ 450,000 . complete 800 hoi polloi have paid for deoxyadenosine monophosphate ticket . Virgins low orbit space trips are less exciting than what SpaceX offer , but price is a huge factor , and being soh a good deal Thomas More affordable means Thomas More space tourists will turn to Virgin first . However it plays out , the maturate of commercial-grade blank travel is hither , and it will solitary contract more affordable and more exciting from this orient . I cant look till Associate in Nursing orbit roughly the Earth monetary value as little as Associate in Nursing melody ticket from California to London price . Perhaps I mightiness live able-bodied to fill my teenage dream of experience space fledge . I have a few more decade ahead of me , after all . To infinity and beyond !