By CAITLIN GALLAGHER February 17th, 2022
For many people, the possibility of going to space is too far-fetched to even imagine. However, for the ultra-wealthy, space travel is becoming an increasingly attainable reality. Many argue that this new form of space travel is promoting the continuation of space exploration, but in reality, it is just an unethical way for the top 1% to flaunt their wealth.
When thinking of celebrity space travel, the name that comes to most people’s minds is Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Bezos’ commercial space company is called Blue Origin, and has recently announced plans to build and launch its own commercial space station, “Orbital Reef”, by the end of the decade. Additionally, Bezos said he plans to spend one billion dollars every year until the project is complete. Some would argue that this investment is necessary to make space-travel safer and more accessible, but could there be a better use of this money? There have been countless reports of unsafe and unfair working conditions for Amazon workers throughout the country as Amazon grows in size and popularity. Workers are asked to meet ridiculous quotas, often putting their safety and health at risk. Rather than spending $1B a year on a space station, might his money be better spent on improving the working conditions for the people who have made him wealthy? I would argue that space travel is less important than the well-being of ordinary people here on Earth, and it is worrisome that Jeff Bezos doesn’t seem to agree.
Additionally, the space race among billionaires is unresponsible in terms of its impact on the environment. Not only are the space companies themselves harmful to the environment, but the companies that many billionaires own harm the environment as well. Companies like Amazon are major polluters of the environment due to it’s high carbon emissions and its contribution to the overall amount of waste on Earth.
Ultimately, the growth of corporate space travel feels like a bit of almost humorous irony. Multi-billionaires like Jeff Bezos have made a mess on Earth, both of the environment and of the lives of ordinary people, and now they are among a small group of people who will be able to flee those problems. This new age of space travel is unjust, and billionaires like Bezos and Musk should use their vast wealth to address the problems they’ve created on Earth before creating new ones in the “final frontier” that has felt unreachable for so many years.