Blue Origin space tourism

[thebard3]

I'm not really getting the point of the Blue Origin New Shephard tourism launches. Blue Origin launched 15 test flights before putting people on there, and around 16 more of which 11 were 'crewed' flights. I used 'crewed' intentionally as I don't think anybody does anything more useful than just floating around. It seems more like an amusement ride than anything more practical than that.

 

[IRstuff]

Public interest insures that funding and support continue for basic research and science.

Blue Origin has flown with people from countries that have not participated in space flight, so there's some possibility that those countries might be more interested in space flight going forward.

 

[thebard3]

That suggests an interesting scenario. Are tax dollars being used to supplment Katy Perry and other celebrities who are paying to ride into 'space'?

 

[LittleInch]

The real truth?

 

[btrueblood]

"Are tax dollars being used to supplment Katy Perry and other celebrities who are paying to ride into 'space'?"

I don't know, are they?

Virgin Space has been doing tourism launches as well. I doubt much in the way of tax dollars, other than FAA, and local and state taxes to maintain airspace, is involved in either enterprise (at least no more than in any other air- or space-related tourism based industry).

Certainly not to the level of NASA- and DOD-funded launches by SpaceX. But even there, a lot of funding is coming from private enterprise for commercial space launches, I'd venture that more than half of SpaceX revenues are private? Would be interested if you can come up with that data, but then, all 3 players are corporations and don't have the same reporting requirements as public agencies, so those numbers are likely buried.

 

[IRstuff]

Are tax dollars being used to supplment Katy Perry and other celebrities who are paying to ride into 'space'?

Not directly; Blue Origin has contracts for specific launch services, notably defense and intelligence payloads, so it's the same learning curve that also benefits the commercial side.

https://www.space.com/space-explora...aunch-contracts-to-spacex-ula-and-blue-origin

 

[thebard3]

Everything I see about the New Shephard indicates that it is sub-orbital, so fills a pretty limited market. The New Glenn heavy lift vehicle is a different system. I don't think SpaceX has anything like New Shephard.

 

[IRstuff]

I don't think SpaceX has anything like New Shephard.

Sure, they do, everything "needs" to be commercialized to make money. While not suborbital, it's still mostly, if not purely, commercial flight

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/polaris-dawn-sunday-splashdown-gulf-of-mexico/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spacex-crew-first-flight-around-earths-poles/