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Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm "type =" text "content =" Last night, SpaceX announced the identity of the first private passenger intends to shoot in space: the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa.The passenger went on stage and announced that he would finance a trip around the moon and that he would bring six more as part of a global artistic project. "moon," said Maezawa at the announcement. "With artists!"
"data-reactid =" 23 "> Last night, SpaceX announced the identity of the first private passenger it plans to launch in space: the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who announced that he would finance a trip around the moon and six others with him as part of a global art project. "I choose to go to the moon," said Maezawa at the announcement. "With artists!"
In the midst of the frenzy and excitement, it might be easy to forget some important aspects of the mission and what it means for the future of the space economy. Here are some things to watch as this mission progresses toward its planned launch in 2023.
Stunt or Legit Mission – Is there a difference?
Photo Credit: DAVID MCNEW – Getty Images
<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The aerospace industry is no stranger to a blow Did you know that the first transcontinental flight through the United States was part of a $ 50,000 contest? The winner, Calbraith Perry, christened the plane that he had stolen after a flavored soft drink with grapes in exchange for a sponsorship.
"data-reactid =" 37 "> The aerospace industry is no stranger to a publicity stunt Did you know that the first transcontinental flight across the United States was part of a contest? $ 50,000? Grape flavored soft drink in exchange for a sponsorship.
An air strike is worth it if it leads to a breakthrough or an advancement. The X price is a good modern example. But what SpaceX does does not qualify as a waterfall. This distinction fades away, a sign that the space industry is maturing.
It's a paid mission. The purpose of the private space movement is that everyone can pay a ticket for any reason. The old idea that space is reserved for scientists and military pilots with severe faces – and any other flight is stupid – is an archaic and evanescent distinction.
You may disagree with Maezawa's project or criticize it as the indulgent dream of a billionaire. But it is as legitimate as a mission to launch a communication satellite. In this business, like many others, the customer is always right. Be fortunate that Coca-Cola does not pay for trips to put its logo on the lunar surface.
Again.
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Photo Credit: DAVID MCNEW – Getty Images
"It's a dangerous mission," Elon Musk told the crowd last night, several times. It was not just a way to amplify the drama of the ad. The statement highlights the risk of sending half a dozen people on a new spacecraft and rocket to a remote destination where there is no chance of getting help.
"He is, I think, the bravest and most willing person to do it," Musk said of Maezawa.
SpaceX does not highlight the risk when it talks about sending NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. Instead, the security safety lessons that flow from this program will apply at this time. SpaceX's classic strategy is to leverage lessons from one program to advance another.
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Yet, the mission is perilous and Musk is right to point this out. The flight path, passing close to the moon and turning around to redo it, requires many thruster burns at specific times. Missing a calculation and the consequences could extend the time of a flight, cause passengers to fail in space or send them to an impact with the lunar surface.
Musk mentioned that fewer people were needed to ensure that the spacecraft had a lot of supplies in case of an emergency. Having a team trapped in space after an accident would give the expression "hungry artist" a whole new meaning.
<h3 class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Uncle Sam can see the trip as a distraction"data-reactid =" 62 ">Uncle Sam can see the trip as a distraction
SpaceX launches a lot of commercial satellites, but the US government is a core customer. In addition to delivering cargo and crew to the ISS for Uncle Sam, the company is also launching national security systems.
Musk went on to say that the NASA and "nat-sec" launches are the first. No space flight customer ever wants to feel a priority and a new large animal project may not be a welcome distraction. This prompted Musk's repeated comments that the true objective of the Big Falcon rocket (BFR) would only occur after NASA crewed flights were completed. He said that the photo will be less than 5% of the effort of Spacex until the other thing is done.
During the conference, Musk (perhaps accidentally) published information about a crew capsule delay that would put the flight crewed from its planned launch in April 2019 to the second quarter of this year. With this kind of schedule delay, NASA may need reassurance.
Since the BFR mission relies heavily on the work done for NASA's crewed flights, any further delay in this program is delaying the completion of Maezawa's mission. When Musk was asked why SpaceX could meet the 2023 schedule, he said, "We are certainly not sure."
Will this mission be one of many?
At the moment Maezawa flies on the moon, the state of manned flights can make this flight less abnormal. Many ideas circulate around the world to explore the Moon and Mars, space hotels on Earth and a space station in lunar orbit. The Chinese government has lunar aspirations. Other companies, including Blue Origin, are designing equipment to bring people to the lunar surface.
Many of them will be delayed, canceled or jostled. But not everyone will do it. It may be that the moment this rocket launches with her cargo of artists, she will have company.
The day after the SpaceX announcement, Japanese Space Agency officials presented a slide showing their ambitions to help explore the moon's surface, using US and Russian rockets and using the Lunar Gateway space station. proposed.
Slides like this one exist in many places, from departments to private space companies. What seems to be an extreme mission today may be trivial in the future.
Will Musk Go?
Musk has maintained since the beginning of SpaceX that he aspires to set foot on Mars. In some respects, SpaceX's business model is based on these premises. So it's not surprising that when Maezawa's trip was announced, he said, "Well, maybe we'll both be there.
Maezawa seemed open to the idea, nodding and applauding. But others may not be so happy to hear Tesla's CEO and SpaceX is now obsessed with going to the moon. While SpaceX is doing well, its car company is under fire, not helped by Musk's recent history of self-inflicted public relations injuries.
Still, the idea that the leader of a launch company would embark a carefully tested (but still new) spacecraft on his maiden voyage is rather cool. This would mean, as Musk has said of Maezawa, that the tech guru "puts his money where his mouth is" by sharing the risk.
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