10 Ways The Private Sector Is Revolutionizing Space Travel

Think outer space is only for governments? Think again! These 10 missions prove that the commercial space race is up and launching.

Grasshoppers, Falcons, and Dragons, Oh My!

SpaceX / Via spacex.com

SpaceX continues to lead the private space sector in next-gen launch vehicles. In 2014, SpaceX completed the first private mission to the international space station with the fiercely named “Dragon” capsule.

But it’s not just Elon Musk sending rockets to space. Space companies Orbital, UP Aerospace, and Sierra Nevada are all building—and launching—vehicles of their own.

Space Tourism: Who’s First?

Virgin Galactic / Via virgingalactic.com

Want to go to space? Of course you do. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, as well as XCOR and Armadillo Aerospace, are all feverishly working to bring that opportunity to a spaceport near you…very soon.

For the small sum of $100,000 to $250,000, you too can experience the weightlessness and amazing views of space!

Soar Above the Heavens

WorldView Experience / Via worldviewexperience.com

If a rocket ride is too much for your stomach to handle, consider leisurely floating to the heavens via the WorldView Experience space balloon. The high-altitude balloon will float to over 100,000 feet, making you feel like one of the Gods on Mt. Olympus.

Who Wants to be a Martian?

Mars One / Via mars-one.com

Is interplanetary travel more your speed but you can't afford the ticket? No problem! Send your audition tape to Mars One and win a trip to Earth’s neighbor while cameras capture your every move. Make sure to read the fine print, though: it’s a one way ticket…

Cosmic Love Shack

Bigelow Aerospace / Via bigelowaerospace.com

If you don't want to spend the rest of your life on Mars, what about a stay in a space hotel? Bigelow Aerospace wants to offer ordinary citizens the opportunity to work and play in their inflatable space stations. At $25 million a room, you’d really need to impress your date, though.

Space Elevator: Science Fact?

LiftPort Group / Via liftport.com

Why take the stairs to your space hotel when you can ride the lift? Space elevators feature a tethered cable extending from Earth’s surface into space. The Liftport Group hopes to build space elevators using carbon nanotubes and we hear even Google may be interested. At least you’ll be able to search, “How do I get off this thing?” on your journey.

Sunjammer: Guardian of the Galaxy

Sunjammer / Via sunjammermission.com

Getting to space isn't the only challenge for the space industry. A direct hit by a solar flare from our own sun could wipe out electrical grids around the world, sending us back to the stone age. Enter Sunjammer: a massive solar sail flying on sunlight to provide Earth with its earliest warning yet of potentially devastating solar activity.

Solar sails are also one of our best options for interstellar travel, tapping an inexhaustible energy source to reach incredible speeds. It certainly beats gas prices…

Space Mining: All Your Gold are Belong to Us

Deep Space Industries / Via deepspaceindustries.com

Want to get rich quick? It’s easy when you have an asteroid! Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries want to do just that by capturing and mining our solar system’s rocky missiles. Asteroids contain water, propellants, and metals like gold, silver, and copper that are critical to both space exploration and life on Earth.

It’s good to know that when the Armageddon-movie asteroid is tumbling towards Earth, some space miners will be ready to drill it apart!

BattleBots on the Moon

Google Lunar XPRIZE / Via googlelunarxprize.org

In the race for deep space we can’t forget our closest neighbor. Google’s Lunar XPRIZE is offering a $20 million grand prize to the first private team to place a robotic lander on the moon. With teams like SpaceIL, Astrobotic, and Moon Express on board, we’re likely to see multiple private sector robots on the moon in the coming years.

Here’s hoping the robots don’t join forces…they do have the high ground.

If not now, why not in the afterlife?

Celestis / Via celestis.com

You may not have a cool $25 million sitting around for a trip to space, but that shouldn't stop you from going. For as little as $995, Celestis will provide a space burial to remember with flights ranging from Earth orbit to deep space. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is one of many who are memorialized in "the final frontier."

And with its new memorial spaceflight service for pets, Celestis Pets will send your beloved cat or dog on an incredible journey, too. If we're going to space, we may as well all travel together.