The Secondary Impediments to Space Tourism Industrial Development

The secondary impediments to commercial space tourism were discussed in this chapter. Insurance for risky activities like space tourism was a significant issue. Insurance of various types was both required and costly. It was also difficult to obtain and thus a potential barrier to space tourism. The second secondary impediment involved standards. There were several types and a number of potential problems, such as who should set them? Risk perception was the third secondary impediment. The significance of risk perception was established, as risk perceptions inhibited space tourism and deterred investors. The lack of government support was another secondary barrier to space tourism. Governments did not support space tourism: instead, they sometimes obstructed space tourism. Inadequate public awareness about space tourism opportunities was noted. Public awareness was necessary: limited public awareness of space tourism was an impediment to space tourism demand and insufficient investor awareness inhibited investment. There was a prevalent perception that governments dominated space. In fact, governments have dominated space and there was a government attitude to control space. The popular public perception was that space belongs to government. The space tourism market remained unproven, another secondary impediment. It was thought that there was significant market potential. Stakeholder conflict was the eighth secondary impediment. There were basic questions, such as should space be developed? Other stakeholder conflicts involved ethics, space law, the environment, priorities, access, politics, intra-organizational conflict and cultural conflict. The final two secondary impediments were the supply/demand catch 22 and the NIMBY phenomenon.

Keywords: Brand, brand awareness, cultural conflict, International Space Society, liability, liability insurance, maximum probable loss, National Space Society, NIMBY, Office of Commercial Space Transportation, politics, priorities, risk perception, stakeholder, United Nations Outer Space Treaty, Soyuz, Spaceport America, space ethics, Suborbital Institute, supply and demand.