Mankind has always had a fascination with space, wanting to know what is out there, how to get there and what to do after we get there. Some share the belief that there is some form of life, as we know it, in space. Some have argued there are extraterrestrial (ET) beings as some vouched sighting them and the spacecraft that they travel in. Some religions believe heaven resides above the earth even as others argue otherwise. All being said, mankind’s curiosity has led to exploratory activities to and in space that help in shaping a more informed, scientific perspective about the universe we live in.
Many were content to have the government launched exploration and exploratory activities in space. At the most basic, these activities help in understanding whether there is life in space or molecules, such as water, that can lead to creation of life and living as we know it. Man’s competitive nature and his country’s desire to outdo each other have realised the space race between the West and the East during the Cold War era. It realised competitions between notably the Soviet Union and the United States to see who first would develop the capabilities for aerospace, including human spaceflight, artificial satellites, and unmanned space probes.
While these competitions during the mid-1950s to mid-1970s were part of the quest for world dominance and resulted in the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1 launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, others followed with improved technology and greater success. One of the united human benefits in space development is that countries, though at war or conflict with the other, have cooperated in space exploration. For instance, the United States and Soviet Union have had astronauts sharing the same space flight and working together in exploring the universe.
For 62 years government monopolised experiences relating to space until this year when the private sector proved they too can play a role in this frontier. The sector has not only made history by entering the space business but has registered another achievement for man, the drive of competition, and the possibilities of commercial travel to space. It creates endless thoughts about what this could mean for those with no interest in understanding the scientific intricacies of the universe but having the money and driven by the desire to explore the possibilities of visiting or re-settling from earth if any other livable planet is found.
Thus, last Sunday at 7:27 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, when American Elon Musk, the multi billionaire owner of Telsa- famed for his electric vehicles and clean energy company-launched SpaceX, we can only think and imagine the limitless capacity of the brain, and what next is possible. According to investopedia.com, “SpaceX is a privately-funded rocket manufacturer and transport services company …[that] has developed a reusable rocket and launch system to significantly reduce the cost of space flight.” Boeing, the company that “designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide” is also developing a spacecraft.
SpaceX launch, which was done in Florida from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, registers another success for man. It is now recorded in history as the first operational mission, demonstrating that a vehicle of its configuration, can safely transport people to the Space Station and bring them back home again. According to NASA the “Space Station is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. It serves as a home where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live.”
From competitive and national interest perspectives SpaceX means that NASA, the United States, will not have to solely rely on Russia, who at a cost of US$80 million per seat was able to get astronauts on its Soyuz rocket to the Station. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is now offering the same experience at a reported price of roughly as low as $55 million a seat. This is a price difference of $25 million.
