Is spending money on Space Travel Extravagant?

The exploration into space was initially performed only by countries with wealth and power, but the billionaires changed the trend, many multi-billion companies took the trend in hand as a status symbol to have their name in space, these new space players began to challenge the government-created monopoly. When it comes to prioritizing space programs, private entities and the government have opposing viewpoints. Different aspects of space programs are prioritized by the government that is in the public interest, such as Earth sciences and national security, whereas wealthy individuals who enter the space sector are interested in personal and financial ventures involving space exploration, such as Elon Musk's plan to make life multi-planetary and Richard Branson's and Dennis Tito's space tourism.

Let's be honest: space exploration isn't cheap! Even a single robotic expedition to space costs millions of dollars, and sending astronauts into orbit takes billions of dollars. If you want to send explorers to even the closest celestial bodies, the expenditures are likely to be extremely expensive. However, there are numerous advantages to exploring space.

Below are some ideas to share when stepping up into space.

 Many countries invest as a balanced part of their entire government budget in space science and exploration as a balanced part of their total federal budget. People believe NASA consumes up to a quarter of the US government budget, whereas NASA's budget is only approximately 0.5% of the total federal budget, and the proportion is significantly smaller for other spacefaring nations, according to the public opinion.

In recent decades, wealthy people's investments have boosted private markets and cleared the path for one of the many new businesses to enter the industry. An explosion of proposed satellite constellations and small launch vehicle concepts as a result of new players joining the commercial space industry and because of which access to space became cheaper.

If one is claiming that public funding should be used to solve global problems, one should be aware that money spent on NASA benefits the economy. Spending on space keeps highly skilled jobs alive, fosters scientific advancements with real-world applications, and creates economic opportunities. As a result, the pool of public funds available to address the world's most critical issues expands.

The Department of Space (DoS) has been given Rs 13,949.09 crore in the Indian Budget 2021-22, with Rs 8,228 crore intended for capital expenditure and Rs 700 crore designated for the New Space India Limited (NSIL), a newly constituted public sector organization within the Department of Space. This is almost Rs 900 crore more than the budget for the fiscal year 2019-20, and Rs 4,449 crore more than the budget for the fiscal year 2020-21. The Department of State was allocated Rs 13,479.47 crore in the previous budget, but this was eventually reduced to Rs 9,500 crore. The Department of Space has been given Rs 13,017.61 crore for the fiscal year 2019-20.

 

People create discoveries that can aid the world in various ways when they face the challenges of space travel. Food growth research in space or on Mars provides insights into food development under harsh conditions on Earth and helps to prevent climate change's effects. Medical research onboard to the International Space Station enables us to get a better understanding of the human body, save lives, and improve quality of life.

A fleet of satellites that orbit the Earth, in particular, send information to satellite navigation systems, broadcast television programs, and monitor weather, is part of a global space network. These are everyday services that we take for granted and are considered as "space exploration."

Further, what if an asteroid strikes the Earth? Social and environmental progress won't help us. We need to explore space, find and study celestial bodies, asteroids and comets to defend our planet from other objects that head our way. It is undeniable that many important human problems need to be resolved. However, addressing these issues does not mean that we must stop investigating, researching, or discovering.

Human civilization has amazing abilities and can do multiple important things at once. If someone thinks a particular topic needs more attention and investment, they can and should advocate it. The problems we face are not limited to space exploration and spending some money on exploration. Talking about civilization, we have already overused Planet Earth which in turn is a necessity to look out for a newer environment to prepare for a new life. We could see crises in water, temperature, air, land, and everything that is beneficial for humans. Every month brings a new set of issues or damage caused by nature; we can’t blame humans alone for the damage but it is the phase of nature to bring that to the table. From the establishment of NASA, space exploration was done to earn fame for the nation, but that will not be a reason anymore, it has turned out to be a must-needed one to find a home in space.

Space exploration isn't cheap, but on the other hand, it is definitely not a waste of money to invest.