Space tourism: An initiative pushing limits

Abstract

Since the launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, in 1957, the number of participants in space activities has been growing rapidly. Although space tourism is in its infancy, it is estimated that the number of space tourists will increase significantly in the coming years. Space travel has inspired humanity in so many ways that humans are entering a new era where space will be accessible to the general public. Space giants such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, Orion Span and others are making new attempts to open a new page in the field of space activities by introducing the concept of space tourism to the public. In this article, a review is made on the determination of the goals of space tourism, the history of human space travel and thus the initiatives developed by different companies to make commercial space travel possible. In this article, the definition of Space tourism has been expanded into three subcategories: Sub-orbital space tourism, Orbital space tourism and Beyond Earth orbit Tourism, where companies such as SpaceX and Space Adventures Ltd push their limits.