Back in 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first to do space exploration by completing one orbit around the Earth, which lasted for around 108 minutes.

He did pave the way for other space explorers, but he was unaware that in future, i.e., by now in 2023, this space exploration will lead to space exploitation.

Now space exploration has come true beyond the sci -fi movies and series. Be it Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, or SpaceX, all these companies are just in the rat race to increase the space tourism.

Till now, they have sent many common people outside the earth for space exploration. But now they are showing people dreams which seem larger than life.

And it’s not just any false claim; some companies are working secretly, and some are working by announcing the process of the whole project.

Colonization in space and other planets will become a reality. The human experience will go beyond the earth.

Space Hotels, space balloons, space cruises, satellite, and space stations will increase space tourism which will make exploration much easier and more luxurious.

Now you will think about how space exploration can be luxurious, right?

The above-mentioned companies are busy giving humans an experience like paradise, and yes, of course, paradise can’t come to earth. So, humans must go to space to experience it.

Be it attending a concert, reading a book while watching beauty that resides in the outer space or having a candlelight dinner while shooting stars pass by your space cruise.

Space colonies will be the technology and future to be looked up to as a success achieved by the humans of this planet.

These may seem like dreams. But have you ever wondered why we are all going to space instead of investing money to develop our own country?

1. What Sparked the Trend for Space Exploration?

Space exploration is on trend. Some get into it for fun, some for a luxurious experience, and many for something in return.

This return can be for business, technological experimentation, space related discoveries, or just knowing about celestial bodies in outer space.

Most of these activities are carried out by humans, but for a few things that are difficult for humans to explore, there are robots doing their work instead.

With the help of those robots, space mining is carried out. I know this may sound weird, but yes, leaving behind all the land available on earth, some companies have started mining outside our planet.

Now you will think that if mining is done outside of space, then the raw material that is extracted will be something different.

But that’s not the case, some materials are the same that are available on our planet, like iron, silver, gold, nickel, and even water.

And a few raw materials, such as various minerals and gases, are extracted from various planets and asteroids, that are hard to find over here.

Space exploration is not just all about bringing back discovered things on earth or outer space human experience.

Few space exploration activities are being carried out to find life outside the earth.

Many space administrations in our world are always excited to find any evidence or sign of life in space.

And some space exploration is carried out to keep a close eye on outer space bodies, like asteroids, meteorites, etc., that keep orbiting around the earth.

It is important to observe their position every now and then, so that we are well aware and prepared for the fact that any of the outer space bodies could fall on the Earth, causing huge damage. It can help predict the future of our planet.

2. How Space Exploration Leads to Exploitation

Over the 60 years, leaving aside the launches for space exploration, 11,140 satellites were sent to space from all around the world.

Each rocket launches, no matter if it takes off for space exploration or for any special mission.

About 200 to 300 million pounds of acidic gas are released during this rocket launch into the Earth’s interior atmosphere.

We are all aware of how damaging this greenhouse gas is for the environment. It weakens the ozone layer and causes significant global warming.

Furthermore, not all the 11,140 observatories and other space stations are active.

Over the years, they remained unused and inactive. And when they start getting old and rupturing, they just keep floating in space, or sometimes in the orbit of the earth.

With the knowledge of these, many satellites are still being launched, and many spaceships take off for space exploration.

The need for it is also increasing, but for space exploration, we are indirectly turning space into a junkyard.

And when the robots are sent to clean out the space debris, big companies don’t have knowledge about what to do with that waste cleaning robot when all the waste is collected from space.

This increases space traffic, leading to collisions of satellites with each other, and those disrupted pieces will enter the Earth’s atmosphere, causing huge damage.

With the increase in space mining, private companies are exploiting other planets and celestial structures by extracting raw materials just for business purposes.

And with this, if any life exists in outer space, these activities can disturb their existence.

The journey for scientific advancement, future prediction, and just being the first to discover something in space is going to have an aftermath. The process might be slow, but the effect will be huge.

3. Conclusion

Beautiful experiences like space exploration, cost damage to space as well as our planet. When travelling to any country, we are required to follow some laws and regulations.

Likewise, if we are travelling to outer space, there are some laws and protocols to be maintained.

Be it NASA or ISRO, they do follow the protocols. But there are some newbie private companies that have entered this field and are still unaware of many rules and are damaging space and other celestial bodies.

Just because we have explored space, do we really have the right to exploit it?

During the 1960s and ‘70s the UN developed the agreements and treaties for outer space.

It clearly conveyed the message that space is not a thing or property to be owned and used as per any country or nation’s wishes.

There are some ethics that need to be followed.

Last Updated on November 14, 2023 by ayeshayusuf