The New
Sponsored by
Unlike the Space Race of the 1960s that pitted the U.S. against the Soviet Union, the more recent leaps in space exploration are happening between rival private companies — most famously on display when a couple of billionaires blasted off in rockets made by their own companies last summer. These commercial space travel programs are
making moon tourism and even colonizing Mars start to feel like a closer reality than ever before, but the impact of
these private rocket startups goes way beyond any interest you have (or don’t have) in vacationing in space.
This new era of privately-made, reusable rockets — those that can launch, land, and be flown again — is democratizing access to space by lowering the cost to get there and allowing for more frequent trips. Explore the infographics below to see what this could mean for everyone back on Earth, from how it’s helping NASA realize its moon-to-Mars strategy, to how it can be used to expand satellite broadband access to connect the world, and even help us fight climate change.
What commercial space travel taking flight means for us on Earth
Key Dates in the New Era of Space Travel
Hover over buttons to view data
Dr. Jeffrey Bennett
The Cosmic Perspective
When NASA shuttered the Space Shuttle program in 2011, it hadn’t sent a human crew to the moon since 1972. Now, it’s restarted its lunar ambitions with the Artemis program — it’s just using a private company to help get it there. While its selection of only one company, SpaceX, to build the lunar module has spurred a lawsuit that could delay its goal of putting a woman and a person of color on the moon by 2024, it seems likely to do so at a drastically reduced cost compared to Apollo-era missions. The winning company did lower its bid in order to fit within reduced NASA budgets, but if they deliver on that cost, it would equal about 13% of the price that it took to get humans to the moon during the Apollo program.
Revenue Generated by the Global Space Industry
Fly Me to the Moon
There are many economic opportunities of space, the biggest of which (at least right now) is the growth of satellite broadband, which can not only help underserved parts of the world gain access to the internet, but also aid the growing demand for data from technology like autonomous cars, premium video, and artificial intelligence (and drive down the cost of that data). But the new space economy could also include human space tourism, product delivery (think packages delivered by rocket instead of by truck), and mining asteroids for minerals.
Indeed, the next resource rush could take place in space, as we look to asteroids, the moon, and Mars to replace natural resources that have been depleted here on Earth. Last year, NASA essentially kickstarted the industry of space mining when it awarded four contracts to companies to extract small amounts of the lunar surface.
Number of Satellites Orbiting Earth
4
The Cost to Launch a Satellite
While governments used to largely control the pathway to space, commercial launches have reduced the cost to get to
low-earth orbit, and that lower cost translates to more launches. One such startup is mass-producing rockets out of aluminum, allowing them to launch a rocket a month in 2021, which it hopes to decrease to daily by 2025 — meaning satellites looking to hitch a ride to space could spend months in line instead of years.
More satellites means we could bring 3-4 billion more people online who live in developing countries where traditional internet access isn’t possible, and research has shown that internet access can equal up to a 2.5% difference in a country’s GDP. Satellites in space can also help with global sustainability efforts. They can track things like crop health, factory emissions, rainforest loss, and illegal fishing. They can help us find remote locations ideal for solar and wind energy infrastructure, optimize agricultural yields, and understand issues like how to keep coral reefs from overheating.
However, easier access to space creates its own set of challenges, such as increased emissions from more frequent rocket launches and the need for international regulation to govern property rights to materials gathered in space. That’s especially true when it comes to space tourism: space consultancy firm Northern Sky Research has found that some of these hour-and-a-half long flights can produce the same amount of pollution as a 10-hour trans-Atlantic flight. It’s still widely unknown how these launches affect our climate as they have the biggest impact on a higher level of Earth’s atmosphere than traditional flights. The rising demand for space tourism means we could be launching 360 a year by 2030.
But if we are able to use these innovations in space travel to further the common good and create a better life here on Earth, the benefit will be far greater than just a vanity project for a few space-loving billionaires.
Source 1: The Planetary Society / Source 2: NASA / Source 3: Morgan Stanley / Source 4: Bloomberg
CREDITS
Written by Andrea Morabito
Designed by Allie Pakrosnis
Click to toggle
This new era of privately-made, reusable rockets — those that can launch, land, and
be flown again — is democratizing access to space by lowering the cost to get there and allowing for more frequent trips. Explore the infographics below to see what this could mean for everyone back on Earth, from how it’s helping NASA realize its moon-to-Mars strategy, to how it can be used to expand satellite broadband access to connect the world, and even help us fight climate change.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed just about everything in our lives, including our relationship with the environment. All those “nature is healing” memes aside, the past year drastically altered our habits in areas like travel (goodbye international flights), commuting (hello work from home), and eating (if you weren’t already a home cook, you were forced to become one). As for the environment, global carbon dioxide emissions
fell by 6.4% globally, and nearly 13% in the U.S.
Environmental Effect of Flight Frequency
1,2
Approximately 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions come from aviation, and U.S. air passengers have the greatest carbon footprint among wealthy countries — greater than the next 10 countries combined. That’s because all those carbon-emitting flights are taken by a relatively small portion of people: Just 11% of the global population took a flight in 2018, and only 4% flew internationally. All of which means changes in flight habits among those people can equal big environmental effects.
If you tried to purchase a bike in the last year, you know firsthand just how much personal transportation habits were upended by lockdowns. That being said, car traffic was also the fastest transportation sector to rebound, given the privacy it offers getting from here to there relative to public transit. So while you may not be looking to completely give up your car, reducing the ways you regularly rely on it, such as commuting to work or school, can have a meaningful reduction on your carbon footprint. It’s estimated that more than 20% of the workforce could work remotely 3-5 days per week as effectively as they could from an office. If you’re one of those workers and you previously drove to work, that could equal at least a 40% reduction in car emissions vs. the previously standard weeklong commute. (You can reduce this even more if you carpool vs. drive alone.) If you’ve just graduated and are looking for your first job, consider looking at areas where you wouldn’t need to rely on a car to commute.
Click dates to navigate through timeline
Astronomer, educator, and Pearson author of
Click to toggle
1,2
3
Author of iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy – and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood
3
Tap for more
It’s not just how they want to learn, college students are also reconsidering their majors and career aspirations amidst a turbulent time for the country and world. More than half are rethinking their career path, with many of those looking toward the fields of health and science — unsurprising after a period where health care workers became heroes and pharmaceutical companies fast-tracked life-saving vaccines.
sadfasd
Feelings Around Work-Life Balance
4
Tap to toggle
All of us want flexibility to enjoy our lives outside of work — but the difference with younger generations like Gen Z is that they’re willing to demand it. That doesn’t mean the “lazy” stereotype holds any merit, however. As Twenge notes, “Gen Z is a little more realistic about hard work than Millennials were at the same age. In 2019, 51% of 18-year-olds said they were willing to work overtime, up from 44% in 2008.”
asdfsdf
But it appears the pandemic might have taken a greater toll on Gen Z than older generations, with one survey showing those in that age group, who are just starting their careers, reporting more feelings of dissatisfaction with work-life-balance than any other generation, and attributing the worsening balance to
the pandemic.
For those still in college, reconciling feelings of dissatisfaction starts with asking for help. If you’re considering changing your major, first consult with your academic advisor or talk to a professional in your alumni network about the path they took to their career. If you feel like your school-life balance is out of whack, look for ways to reward yourself with an activity you enjoy in exchange for completing a deadline.
sdfsd
2008
First private rocket launched into Earth’s orbit
2011
2012
2020
2021
First commercial spacecraft visits the ISS
Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin complete first suborbital crewed flights
NASA shuts down the Space Shuttle program
First launch of NASA astronauts from U.S. in commercially built spacecraft
$
$
Click buttons to view data
APOLLO (1962 – 1972)
artemis (2021 – ?)
$23 billion
to build Apollo-era lunar module
*in 2020 dollars
$2.9 billion
to build Artemis moon lander
2040
2020
$350 billion
$1 trillion
(estimateD)
Dr. Jeffrey Bennett
$5 million
(POTENTIAL)
$60 million
with a reusable rocket
$200 million
with a traditional rocket
PAST
present
future
Hover over buttons to view data
with matured technology
in 10 years
Current
50,000–100,000
3,400
3
First private rocket launched into Earth’s orbit
NASA shuts down the Space Shuttle program
First commercial spacecraft visits the ISS
First commercial spacecraft visits the ISS
(PROJECTED)
Fly Me to the Moon
$
Occasional
infrequent
Tap buttons to view data
Occasional
infrequent
frequent
Tap buttons to view data
Environmental Effect of Flight Frequency
3
$5M
with matured technology
$60M
with a reusable rocket
Dr. Jeffrey Bennett
*
$23b
The Cosmic Perspective
Astronomer, educator, and Pearson author of
The Cosmic Perspective
Astronomer, educator, and Pearson author of