Private commercial space travel has been developing rapidly in the last two decades. In this regard, such companies as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are at the forefront of this process. For instance, on July 11, 2021, Richard Branson – the founder of Virgin Galactic – and his team successfully reached suborbital space (Amos). However, although such progress in space travel is undoubtedly good, there has been some criticism towards the space company owners recently. As such, Prince William claimed that the great minds of the current century should be involved in solving environmental issues rather than searching for a new place to live (Prince William Says). Therefore, under current conditions, it is clear that the space tourism race is a potential ethical issue that will become more evident in the near future.
From an ethical perspective, Prince William’s criticism of commercial space travel companies can be divided into two subjects. The first one includes the question concerning the responsibility of people who own great resources such as ‘great brains’ and money to influence the planet’s environmental problems. Indeed, on the one hand, this claim seems valid if we imagine what the wealthiest and most successful entrepreneurs could achieve by putting a significant part of their efforts into tackling climate change. Yet, on the other hand, it can be argued that the owners of SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are not obligated to solve environmental issues more than other people. The second question includes the concerns about whether it is ethical to search for alternatives for human beings’ future inhabitance on the other planets without first doing everything possible to save the Earth.
Works Cited
Amos, Jonathan. “Virgin Galactic: Sir Richard Branson Rockets to the Edge Of Space.” BBC, 2021, Web.
“Prince William Says Great Minds Should Focus On Saving Earth Not Space Travel.” CBC News, 2021, Web.