A NEW dawn for space travel is upon us, with billionaire entrepreneurs trying to launch astro-tourism out of sci-fi novels and into real life.
While the likes of Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos still have a way to go – here’s a peak at what the future of space travel could look like.
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Japan and beyond
Spaceports of the future are being planned worldwide.
Like airports, they are being designed around cities.
It makes a change from the isolated launch sites we know today, which are built far from built up areas.
Noiz Architects has designed a city-based spaceport for Japan.
Together with the Space Port Japan Association (SPJ), the Japanese architecture firm aims to connect traditional transportation with a commercial space shuttle.
The CGI image shows the spaceport with glass towers, kitted out with solar panels.
Future spaceports won’t be too dissimilar to airports.
Inventive designers are imaging the astro-travel hubs to feature retail, entertainment and dining facilities.
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But instead of airplanes, spacecrafts will be used to take passengers into Earth’s orbit – and perhaps even beyond.
Singapore spaceport
Singapore also drew up plans for a spaceport in the city-state.
The island nation is renowned for its extravagant airport, which lures travellers into actively choosing 8+ hour layovers to gaze at its indoor waterfall and experience its interior shuttle system.
While the spaceport project was seemingly abandoned, it shows us a glimpse at what is to come.
The imaged design revealed a spaceport decked out with a virtual observatory for adventure-seeking tourists.
The project was forecast to cost around $115million (£93million), with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore projecting the elaborate spaceport to open in 2009.
That obviously never happened.
Arctic astro-hub
This spaceport mirrors the launch sites humans have already built.
It is located far away from civilisation, which makes it easier and safer to launch bigger rockets packed with more tourists.
The spaceport includes a dock to make it more accessible for thrill-seeking astro-tourists.
While the location of the spaceport suggests more adventurous tourists will be drawn towards frostier, less explored regions in the future.
Maybe a book by the beach is too old school for the future.
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