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Commercialization

Yet Another Luxury Space Camp Thing For Adults

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
July 14, 2020
Yet Another Luxury Space Camp Thing For Adults

Former Spaceflight CEO and French entrepreneur join forces to launch astronaut training startup, Geekwire
“If the 2010s were the decade when small satellites revolutionized the space industry, the 2020s will be when commercial space odysseys finally go mainstream. At least that’s the gamble that Jason Andrews, the co-founder and former CEO of Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries, is taking with French-born tech entrepreneur Nicolas Gaume. Today Andrews and Gaume are taking the wraps off Orbite, a Seattle startup that will focus on getting would-be spacefliers ready for those future odysseys. “You’re going to go to a space camp for the next generation,” Gaume said.”
Keith’s update: (Sigh) Yet another company backed by rich people to train commercial astronauts for their space flights. Of course there is a rich seaside spa angle to this with all the luxury perks. Maybe R2D2 will serve drinks. But there are no actual training facilities yet. And no one is flying commercial space passengers yet – suborbital or orbital. But this space camp resort thing will open in 2023 or something. And since all of these spaceflight tickets are ultra expensive – the equivalent of a house or several college educations – what’s another few tens of thousands of dollars to the rich folks?
I have had two rounds of parabolic flights on ZeroG and did the suborbital astronaut scientist centrifuge training program at NASTAR. They are excellent, professional introductions to what can be expected for suborbital flights, and I highly recommend both. As for all of the other adult space camp stuff Orbite (and its competitors) will offer – who knows. The facilities that you need to actually do provide this kind of training are not cheap and they don’t just pop into existence. But … there are lots of former astronauts looking for a new gig – so the instructor recruitment part will be easy. But until the actual demand appears it is questionable as to whether these luxury add-ons to commercial spaceflight will be able to survive. As always, caveat emptor – and Beam Me Up.
Orbite website

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

3 responses to “Yet Another Luxury Space Camp Thing For Adults”

  1. Bill Housley says:
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    Well, we’ll know in a year or so if this has legs. Personally, I think that the flight and habitat providers will be the main source of this kind of training and it’ll be included in the price of the flight.

  2. ThomasLMatula says:
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    IF Elon Musk succeeds in making a Starship capable of transporting 200-300 passengers a flight point to point between the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia it will eliminate these suborbital businesses overnight. Why pay $250,000 to take a suborbital joyride when you could just pay $5,000 for a tourist flight to Europe to get your astronaut wings? Actually I expect the term will be redefined to only include those who actually orbit the Earth.

  3. fcrary says:
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    Some how, I can’t bring myself to care. From the sound of it, it would be a very expensive, space-themed vacation. If someone rich enough wants to pay for that, fine. If someone rich enough expects more and pays without checking into what it really is, well, that’s their fault and their problem. The tour/hotel operators can take the money and run for all I care.