People have long dreamed of traveling in space. However, while astronauts had the opportunity to go into space, this opportunity was not so long for ordinary people. From this year, the issue of space tourism has become a reality. Those who have a lot of money in their pockets have already fulfilled their dream of going out into space. The list includes two millionaire entrepreneurs, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson. They have come to space as tourists. According to a report in the New York Times, space tourism has reached its full potential through this.
Richard Branson, a British billionaire who visited space for the first time on July 11 as a tourist in the space tourism race, said it was an “extraordinary experience of a lifetime”. Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, a US-based multinational company. He is known for taking on new challenges. He has named a new milestone in the triumph of man by traveling through space with three colleagues. Branson’s space travel company Virgin Galactic spacecraft took off from New Mexico in the United States that day. According to an AFP report, Branson’s rocket reached an altitude of 53 miles (65 kilometers). According to the US space agency NASA, this distance is longer than the space limit. Passengers can experience weightlessness at this distance. Richard Branson made the history of space tourism through this journey.
According to the BBC, Branson was accompanied by pilots Dave McKay and Michael Masuksi. The other three are Galactic workers Beth Moses, Colin Bennett and Sreesanth Bandla. From next year, he will sell tickets to interested passengers. Virgin Galactic has already booked 700 passengers with advance tickets. One hour of this experience will cost two and a half million US dollars or more than 21 million rupees. In this journey you will get the opportunity to experience weightlessness and see the horizon of the earth for about five minutes.
Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon’s ২০০ 200 billion, did not give up on Branson’s spaceflight. After 9 days, he turned 75 miles and claimed the victory of space. According to the Amazon, the imaginary boundary of the Earth’s atmosphere and space is known as the Karman Line. The Bezos spacecraft crossed the Karman Line, 72 miles above sea level.
According to the people concerned, the competition of Virgin Galactic with Bezos space agency Blue Origin is going to make the space travel more affordable.
The International Space Station will retire at the end of this decade, but the commercial space station is being built to start space tourism. The US space agency NASA is assisting in this. NASA is providing millions of US dollars to three companies to build a commercial space station. Scientists hope that commercial space stations could be used as an alternative to the International Space Station. NASA-funded companies include US billionaire Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, space agency Nanorodax and defense contractor Northrop Grumman. The company has received কোটি 130 million, ৬ 160 million and কোটি 12.57 million in funding to build three space stations. Earlier, NASA had provided US ১৪ 140 million to another company called Axiom Space.
Although NASA used to make various hardware on its own, they are gradually becoming dependent on commercial organizations. The company has to walk this path to save the cost as well as to achieve the ambitious goal. NASA’s ambitious plans include settling on the moon and sending astronauts to Mars.
Jeff Bezos orbited the spacecraft in Blue Origin
Jeff Bezos orbited the spacecraft in Blue OriginPhoto: Reuters
NASA chief Bill Nelson said in a statement: “We are partnering with US agencies to build a space station that will allow us to travel, live and work there. Through this, NASA will be able to encourage commercial activities in space as well as continue various activities for the benefit of the people.
Phil McAllister, NASA’s director of commercial space travel, said the award would help ensure an uninterrupted human presence in space for the United States. In this case, any kind of emptiness will not be good.
An organization called Blue Origin is building a space station called ‘Orbital Reef’ in collaboration with another space agency Sierra Space. The space station will be built in the second half of this decade. It will have accommodation for 10 people. The orbital reef can be used as a business center in space. Apart from this, research on microgravity from this station and making various instruments suitable for space can be done.
The space agency is working with Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin to build a space station called NanorRax ‘Starlab’. This station may be built in 2026. It will have a biology lab, plant habitat lab, physics, laboratory and workbench area.
Northrop Grumman has built a spacecraft called ‘Cygnus’ to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. The company plans to build a space station by assembling different modules. It will have various scientific research opportunities and tourism facilities. However, the companies did not give any idea about the total cost of building the space station. However, McAllister said the construction of the space station would not cost more than 40 percent.
The International Space Station is considered safe until 2026. Nelson chief Nelson said he hoped the International Space Station would be operational by 2030. In the meantime, NASA wants to create a commercial alternative.
The rivalry between the United States and China has now spread to space. Last February, the US space agency NASA’s Perseverance Robot first touched down on Mars. In addition, for the first time on Mars, NASA was able to fly a helicopter called Ingenuity. In May, China sent a robot named Jhurang to Mars in competition with the United States. It landed in the mountainous region north of Mars. It has a protective capsule, a parachute and a rocket platform. Earlier, only the United States had the honor of landing on Mars. China has shared in it. Meanwhile, Russia is also competing with the United States in shooting movies in space. While the subject of space travel movies is not entirely new, the subject of space shooting is new. A group of Russian filmmakers went to the International Space Station and shot a film called ‘The Challenge’.