Industry insiders predict that space tourism prices will plummet in 10 years, and China will enter a new space economy
At the 2023 China Commercial Space Development Conference and the 2nd Zhongguancun Commercial Space Conference held in Beijing recently, experts at the conference stated that China is accelerating the cultivation and development of new space economy formats such as space tourism, space biopharmaceuticals, space debris removal, and space testing services.
"The prospect of commercial aerospace is extremely broad, and existing technologies should be fully utilized to develop the space economy and help build a strong aerospace country," said Ouyang Ziyuan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chief scientist of China's lunar exploration project, at the conference.
Currently, utilizing the advantages of high and distant space locations to provide information services such as communication, navigation, and remote sensing remains the main form of space economy on a global scale. The Space Economy Report 2022 released by a European consulting firm shows that the total global space economy reached $464 billion in 2022, an increase of 8% from the previous year. Among them, 83% of the growth contribution comes from satellite service providers, including telecommunications, Earth observation, and companies that provide services using satellite navigation.
Experts attending the meeting stated that more and more countries are realizing that the space industry will become a new track in the future.
The footage of the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft approaching the space station assembly was taken on May 11, 2023 at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Zhongzheng
Relying on the construction of basic service platforms such as in orbit satellite calibration sites and data distribution and sharing platforms, as well as breakthroughs in miniaturization and integrated navigation chips, China's space application technology has continuously made progress and explored new forms of space economy to enhance the scale and efficiency of the aerospace industry.
The White Paper "2021 China's Aerospace" released by the State Council Information Office in 2022 proposes that in the next five years, China's aerospace industry will "cultivate and develop new forms of space economy such as space tourism, space biopharmaceuticals, space debris removal, and space testing services, and enhance the scale and efficiency of the aerospace industry.".
Hou Yukui, a researcher at the Qian Xuesen Space Technology Laboratory of the China Academy of Space Technology, said that through the comprehensive application of communication, navigation, and remote sensing satellites, as well as the integration with emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, the patterns and forms of space applications have been continuously enriched.
On November 11, 2022, the physical model and engine of China's new generation carrier rocket were unveiled at the China Air Show. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Dawei
Currently, many regions in China are cultivating new growth points for the space economy based on their resource endowments and innovation advantages. Shanghai has a long history of developing aerospace, and relying on the Lingang New Area Satellite Development Base and Minhang Aerospace Base, it will accelerate the construction of a commercial aerospace intelligent manufacturing base.
"Space tourism has high requirements for tourists' physical conditions," said Li Qinglong, one of China's first astronauts and coaches. Depending on the difficulty of the flight and the altitude reached, the training time before space tourism flights can range from several days to several months, requiring tourists to invest time, money, energy, and effort.
Space tourism can be divided into parabolic flight, high-altitude flight, suborbital flight, and orbital flight based on the order of altitude from the ground. Experts attending the meeting stated that although orbital flight is closer to the ideal state of space tourism, the relatively low-cost suborbital flight is expected to be achieved first. At present, supporting systems such as civil space stations suitable for rail tourism have not been completed, and new technological breakthroughs are expected in the coming years.
"The current space tourism market is very similar to the early stages of civil aviation development, and it is expected that the price of space tourism will decline rapidly in 10 years," said Long Kaicong, Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the China Commercial Aerospace Development Conference and Secretary General of the Zhongguancun Leading Commercial Aerospace Industry Development Alliance.
