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This week, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch will be livestreamed at 8:34, May 18th JST.
Even a handful of years ago, it was special to see a man-made object in orbit. I remember running inside at the age of 14 to tell my family I’d seen a “really slow shooting star that didn’t disappear like normal” that in hindsight, was probably a satellite. These days, thousands of LEO (low-earth-orbit) satellites have become a regular part of the scenery, providing wireless internet, TV stations and radio channels, tracking weather, spying on military bases, and telling me which direction to turn to go home. I’ve even heard people say that some satellites can take a photo of a license plate from space, but there doesn’t seem to be any proof of that yet.
Despite the many roles that space launches play in the daily lives of billions of average-income people, the company Axium has a different market in mind: extreme tourism for the extremely rich. This flight will be the second of Axium’s three-passenger joyrides- each of whom paid over 55 million dollars for their seat in the rocket. In the future, Axium plans to expand the space-industry by building its own space station, pieces of which are already being sent up along with the passengers.
While a trip to space is a dream come true for these wildly wealthy passengers, regular people also wonder about the consequences of this new industry. Rocket launches emit black carbon pollution into the air, contributing to global warming and climate change. People around the world who have suffered from recent disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires, ask if it’s worth the risk to give billionaires a more fun vacation. Others claim that the environmental impact is too small to matter in the long run, and praise these programs for supporting the economy. Which side would you take?
Additionally, the ISS itself will be visible from Japan for five minutes on May 17, 7:41 PM to 7:46 PM JST- a longer duration than its usual one-minute appearances.
SpaceX falcons: https://www.space.com/18962-spacex-falcon-9.html
ISS viewing: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/view.cfm?country=Japan®ion=None&city=Tokyo