科技日报：太空旅游离大众还有多远？

Core Viewpoint - The commercial space tourism industry is evolving from concept to reality, with companies like Beijing Chuan Yue Zhe and others planning to offer manned space flights by 2028, as evidenced by the recent global launch event for the "Chuan Yue Zhe No. 1" spacecraft [1] Group 1: Forms of Space Tourism - Current international space tourism activities are categorized into three forms: suborbital, orbital, and deep space tourism [2] - Suborbital tourism allows passengers to experience a brief weightlessness at altitudes around 100 kilometers, with companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin leading in this area [2] - Orbital tourism involves flights at altitudes of 200 to 400 kilometers, where passengers can experience long-term weightlessness, exemplified by SpaceX's recent activities [2][3] Group 2: Technical Challenges for Space Tourism - Several domestic commercial space companies are targeting the space tourism sector, with Chuan Yue Zhe having completed the overall scheme verification for its reusable suborbital spacecraft [4] - Key technical challenges include ensuring safety redundancy, high reliability subsystems, and repeatable verification processes, with a focus on critical technologies such as escape systems and life support [5] - The timeline for achieving manned flights by 2028 is contingent on overcoming these technical hurdles and meeting national aerospace standards [5][6] Group 3: Requirements for Ordinary People to Enter Space - Ordinary individuals do not need to possess extraordinary physical capabilities to participate in suborbital flights, but must meet certain health criteria, including the ability to withstand 3 to 4 Gs of force [7] - The primary physiological challenges include managing the physical overload during launch and re-entry, as well as potential motion sickness in weightlessness [7] - Serious underlying health conditions are absolute disqualifiers, while mild chronic conditions may require medical evaluation [7] Group 4: Cost Factors in Space Tourism - Currently, space tourism is primarily accessible to the wealthy, with ticket prices for orbital tourism exceeding $50 million and suborbital flights costing hundreds of thousands [8] - The ticket price for the "Chuan Yue Zhe No. 1" is set at 3 million yuan, indicating the high cost associated with this emerging industry [8] - The expectation is that prices will decrease over the next 20 years as the industry matures and scales, potentially making space tourism a niche but attainable luxury [8]