Going to space

If you ever wished to leave behind the daily grind and go far-far away from your earthly responsibilities, then there may be an ideal opportunity for you. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa recently sent out an invitation for eight members of the general public to join him in an all-expensespaid trip around the moon. For now, you can go and register yourself on the website for the ‘Dear Moon’ mission. Maezawa has laid-out some ambiguous qualifications that he is personally looking for in his crew — they should advance whatever beneficial activity they are engaged in for the sake of society and should also be willing to support fellow crew members with similar aspirations. Maezawa, a high profile art collector among other things, had originally intended to take along artists on his journey to inspire them to create new ‘masterpieces’. The billionaire had also had a plan for a documentary series that would capture his search for a girlfriend to accompany him on his journey but he later scrapped the idea.

Now, it is important to mention that the actual spacecraft that will be taking these potential astronaut-artists to the starts is not actually ready yet. The SpaceX Starship is still in a prototype phase and is currently running into explosive failures as it tries to land back on Earth. But SpaceX boss Elon Musk has expressed confidence that the first manned lunar voyage since 1972 will go ahead as planned in 2023. It is worth noting that this would set it around the same time as NASA’s Artemis project to land men and women on the moon in 2024. But this discourse isn’t an exploration of the exciting new space race that is unfolding before us but rather a brief look at the private participation aspect of the whole endeavour. It is no exaggeration to say that private participation is bolstering the space age in a way like never before. For the first time, going to space is no longer just going to be an expensive vanity or science project but rather a commercially viable endeavour as well. Private companies have sensed the shifting tide and are now increasingly investing in various proto-space industries such as orbital construction, space mining and yes, commercial space travel. Many of the biggest technology giants are already throwing their weight behind what will be one day be the next big leap in human history. Consider this, a report released in January this year by a New York-based firm called Space Capital detailed that in 2020, a pandemic year, private investment in space still reached as high as USD 8.9 billion. The era of civilian space travel and industrial activity may certainly be upon us but what stands in the way is the lack of a legal framework for space, particularly in regards to resources that would be mined in space. For the early days of the industry, significant government involvement will be necessary. Not just for incentivising the active setup of space companies but to also set up a system of rules and regulations that will one day guide the truly massive potential of space industries. Even before we fully get underway to moving out to the stars, private-public partnerships in space can already prove beneficial. Consider the severe problem of space trash that is only getting worse with time and will come in the way of any serious ambitions for space that we may have as a species. While space trash is generally too large a problem for one country and too sensitive a situation for larger cooperation amongst nations, private industries which are suitably incentivised by the government can play a valuable role in the field.

Of course, caution is always advisable. There is always a danger of overcrowding and eventual monopolisation when private interests first enter a new market. There are other more conspirational fears as well. Theories that speak of dystopic futures where the rich escape a dying world to seek refuge amongst the stars. Amusing fiction of course but it does speak of the possible consequences of taking our worst excesses with us when we finally start expanding beyond our planet.