Just because Star Wars takes place in a galaxy far, far away and we haven't yet mastered that kind
of commercial space travel doesn't mean the mood of those places can't be captured here on earth.
Virgin Galactic — the division of the Virgin Group tasked with
making commercial space travel a reality — eventually acquired the technology that won the prize.
The popularity of the
burgeoning commercial space travel industry may come down to economics: Companies will have to attract investors and build spacecraft that can easily, inexpensively and repeatedly be launched to and return from suborbital altitude.
Accidents will happen
as commercial space travel develops, but if we want more widespread space flight we shouldn't be deterred by them
Notably, more Americans said they were worried about the safety of these two in - atmosphere travel options than those worried
about commercial space travel.
In the years since selling the label he founded, Branson, who is currently attempting to
make commercial space travel a reality, would go on to launch some of the world's most innovative companies.
After several failed attempts, SpaceX made a historic rocket landing in the middle of the ocean that could mean huge savings
for commercial space travel.
In so doing, the privately funded SpaceShipOne had carried humans to space and back again twice within a week, earning its owners the Ansari X-Prize, meant to spur the opening of the age of
commercial space travel.
Commercial space travel is now almost within reach of ordinary citizens.
The sword was awarded to him in June as part of the Heinlein prize for accomplishments in commercial space activities, set up in honour of the American science fiction writer Robert Heinlein who supported the idea of
commercial space travel.
With innovations like driverless cars,
commercial space travel and Elon Musk's much - touted hyperloop lurking just beyond the horizon, travelers are closer than ever to knowing what exactly travel will look like a few decades from now.