Is this the answer to Earth’s problems? Jeff Bezos has launched his most powerful rocket yet. He and Elon Musk believe that living in space is the key to our future.
'Millions will be living in space'
Is this the answer to Earth's problems? Jeff Bezos has launched his most powerful rocket yet. He and Elon Musk believe that living in space is the key to our future.
There was not a single dry eye in Cape CanaveralChosen as a site for launches partly because of its nearness to the equator, which allows rockets to take extra velocity from the rotation of the Earth. Also rockets from this location are likely to crash into the sea - rather than into a populated area - if something goes wrong. early last morning. To a chorus of tears and cheers, New Glenn achieved lift-off. It had overcome a week of technical difficulties.
It is the first rocket launched by Blue Origin, the commercial space exploration company run by Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos.
A strained female voice could be heard over the hubbub. This is "a new era in American space flight. And the first bricks as we build a road to space for the benefits of Earth." Another person expressed awe more succinctly: "Man oh man."
It was not a complete success. New Glenn failed to land its main rocket engine onto a platform in the Atlantic Ocean, which would make it reusable. The engine was lost after 20 minutes.
Nevertheless, the launch was a victory for Bezos. He has long dreamt of space travel. In 2022 he made headlines after sending Star Trek actor William Shatner into orbit.
But in recent years he has fallen behind fellow tech billionaire Elon Musk. Musk's SpaceX launched 134 rockets last year. His Starship rocket is five times more powerful than any other yet developed.
Space travel has stalled for decades. NasaThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme. last sent people to the Moon in 1972. But Blue Origin and SpaceX have helped revive interest in space travel.
The technological advances fuelled by both companies - as well as those made by governments around the world - could lead to the time when popping to space is no harder, more expensive or more dangerous than hopping on a commuter train to London from Guildford.
Both billionaires think that people should live in space. Bezos has planned space stations. Musk wants to see a city on Mars: "I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact," he says. Last April, Musk told SpaceX employees that he expects a million people to be living on Mars in 20 years.
They join others who believe that humans need to leave Earth in order for humankind to survive. Theoretical physicist Stephen HawkingOne of the most revered modern physicists, he is best known for his book A Brief History of Time. said: "It's time to get the hell off planet Earth."1
The cosmosThe universe, especially when it is understood as an ordered system. could provide new places for people to live. We can find necessary resources instead of further exploiting Earth. Bezos envisions outsourcing "damaging industries" on to space factories so that the Earth can be preserved.
There are many sceptics, however. Even for the world's richest men, travelling to space and creating liveable environments there will be incredibly expensive.
No one has ever set foot on Mars. It is a highly hostile environment. It lacks the air we need to breathe. It is often freezing: the medianThe median is the middle point in a group of numbers: half of the numbers are smaller than the median and half are larger. surface temperature is -65C.2 There are planet-wide dust storms.
Our ability to live in space is also up for question. We are evolved for life on Earth. Cosmic rays are a cancer risk. Scientists do not know if people can have children in space.
Even if all these hurdles are crossed, it is not certain that humanity will want to leave. Bezos's own company Amazon ushered in an age where we can have what we want at the click of a button. How will people who are used to such easy consumption live in a harsh environment with limited resources?
Is this the answer to Earth's problems?
Yes: The Earth is rapidly running out of road. The only place left to turn is the cosmos. We can expel our waste, find new sources of food and power, and preserve Earth as a monument to our history.
No: Bezos and Musk talk the talk. But rather than saving Earth for humanity, they might simply be escaping it for themselves. Their space colonies and chosen residents might thrive, while Earth burns out.
Or... Only time will tell. It is worrying, however, that Bezos and Musk are focused on leaving the Earth and starting afresh, rather than saving the planet itself. Do they know something we do not?
Cape Canaveral - Chosen as a site for launches partly because of its nearness to the equator, which allows rockets to take extra velocity from the rotation of the Earth. Also rockets from this location are likely to crash into the sea - rather than into a populated area - if something goes wrong.
Nasa - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme.
Stephen Hawking - One of the most revered modern physicists, he is best known for his book A Brief History of Time.
Cosmos - The universe, especially when it is understood as an ordered system.
Median - The median is the middle point in a group of numbers: half of the numbers are smaller than the median and half are larger.
‘Millions will be living in space’

Glossary
Cape Canaveral - Chosen as a site for launches partly because of its nearness to the equator, which allows rockets to take extra velocity from the rotation of the Earth. Also rockets from this location are likely to crash into the sea - rather than into a populated area - if something goes wrong.
Nasa - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme.
Stephen Hawking - One of the most revered modern physicists, he is best known for his book A Brief History of Time.
Cosmos - The universe, especially when it is understood as an ordered system.
Median - The median is the middle point in a group of numbers: half of the numbers are smaller than the median and half are larger.