Space tourism in turmoil: the beginning of a “major economic difficulty”

Pixabay Space tourism in turmoil: the beginning of a “major economic difficulty”

The sociologist Arnaud Saint-Martin points out the lack of an economic model for this space expedition which contributes to the imagination of infinite growth. While the first French person to make a “sightseeing flight” in space, the wide media coverage of the event has revived the debate on the purpose of such a project and its impact.

The specialist in Savoyard craft beer, Sylvain Chiron, has made his dream come true and is boarding the New Shepard rocket of the company of multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos.

This insatiable approach to conquest has fueled a heated debate on which the sociologist specializing in astronautics, Arnaud Saint-Martin, speaks to Reporterre.

The media hype of the event would, in his opinion, be a sign of a common stereotype among the general public, suggesting that space would be accessible to anyone. Enough to create desire and bias our perceptions on this subject. The business model of these companies also plays on this. This ascent immediately followed by a press conference allows to obtain the instant impressions of the ” lucky ones ” and promises ” media exposure to customers “. The sign ultimately of a need to flatter the ego to sell. 

However, space does not appear to be more accessible to all budgets. Despite the promises of millionaires, maintaining the idea of ​​the happiness of these innovations in order to democratize access to space, the rate of these flights is struggling to accelerate. 

The free fall of the stock market listing of Virgin Galactic, one of the competitors of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, is also evidence of these difficulties in making profitable the few expensive flights organized. The craze is fading, to leave room for doubt among the most enthusiastic at the beginning. Some continue to believe in it, but admit the ultra-niche market that it represents and note that this is not the space sector that can create the most economic spinoffs. 

So, the arrival with great fanfare of these innovations falls flat like a soufflé in favor of the questions that it raises. A whim of a few billionaires, the project is debated and is caught up by reality. The height of an out-of-touch vision, Jeff Bezos still declared in December 2023 that “a  trillion human beings living in the solar system ” was what he envisaged for the future, this by exploiting ” all the resources » to allow the Earth to restore itself like a holiday garden. Concerns that are certainly not at the heart of everyone.

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