Coming Down to Earth; Let’s Talk Sustainable Space Travel
A (not) long time ago, in a galaxy (not) far far away, a small blue planet watched in fascination as two billionaires rocketed themselves towards the stars. While the race to colonize the Moon may have ended with the Cold War, Jeff Bezos’ and Richard Branson’s recent stratospheric journeys herald the start of a new kind of race: commercializing space. These entrepreneurs’ galactic travels, however, are not without controversy — while some celebrate the potential of commercial space flight, others criticize the steep environmental and social costs of such endeavors.
For the latter camp, distaste towards commercial space travel is not entirely unwarranted: when it comes to sustainability, the glitz and glamor of Blue Origin’s futuristic capsules hides a far less rosy picture. Virgin Galactic’s pilot flight alone emitted 27 tons of CO2 — divided amongst six passengers, this amounts to twice the individual annual carbon budget recommended to meet the objectives of the Paris climate accord. Although CO2 emissions from rocket launches today are negligible compared to those produced by commercial aviation on an aggregate basis, environmentalists remain concerned about long-term harm as the private space industry undergoes rapid expansion. Beyond its environmental impact, critics also decry the exorbitant cost of commercial space tourism: the $450,000 price tag of a Virgin Galactic ticket seems a far cry from the founder’s goal to make space more accessible to all. In the midst of record-shattering climate crises, many argue such jaw-dropping investments would be better spent elsewhere.
Nevertheless, there are many who remain starry-eyed about the potential of commercial space travel: from mining asteroids to building solar farms in space, the most visionary proponents argue that space travel offers an opportunity to offset the worst environmental damage on Earth. Whether these ambitious goals are feasible remains to be seen but, in the shorter term, commercial space travel drives positive outcomes in other ways. For one, space-related research has often resulted in life-changing discoveries — today, satellite technology serves a vital function in measuring and tracking the climate crisis. Perhaps less tangible (but no less important) is the perspective that space travel offers: those fortunate enough to see Earth from above report being profoundly moved by the experience. “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world and a compulsion to do something about it,” says astronaut Edgar Mitchell of the experience. Those inspired by the fragility of our “blue marble” can, in turn, inspire action to protect it.
Like most other things, commercial space travel is neither entirely good nor entirely bad. With so many problems already here on Earth, getting entirely lost in the clouds is undoubtedly irresponsible — nonetheless, it’s equally remiss to overlook the benefits of a more democratized space. When it comes to the question of whether to focus our sights on the stars or here on Earth, perhaps a better question would be: why not both?
Caroline Hallmark, Investment Associate Intern
For Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, commercial space travel is only the first step: here is a summary of each entrepreneurs’ long-term vision.
What does Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and Apollo 11 have in common? Apparently a lot — according to historian Neil Maher, the space race and the environmental movement of the 1960s shared a surprisingly close relationship.
Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot offers readers a philosophical mediation on humanity’s role in the universe, as well as an ambitious vision for mankind in space.
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