SpaceX Rocket Will Fly Passengers Across The Atlantic In 30 Minutes, Experts Say

Sick of spending hours on a plane to get to your holiday destination? Well, long haul flights could soon be a thing of the past.

According to an investment firm, a trip from London to New York could take just 29 minutes in Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship.

If they're right, it would take passengers less than an hour to get to Sydney from the UK.

So how does it work? Experts claim it would see rockets entering the upper atmosphere, before heading off to their destination quick sharp and returning safely - hopefully - to Earth.

And it could be big business, with Swiss financial services firm UBS predicting the industry could be worth an incredible £15 billion ($19.7bn) a year by as soon as 2030.

SpaceX

The firm also predicts that space tourism will be worth a hefty £2.3 billion ($3bn).

As you would expect, there aren't many companies competing for custom just yet, with SpaceX and Virgin Galactic remaining the two biggest competitors for the moment.

But with Virgin Galactic's commercial flight reaching space for the first time in December last year, it appears that we may not have long to wait before this becomes a more regular mode of transport.

Jarrod Castle and Myles Walton, both UBS analysts, admit the technology is still in its early stages, but once tested it won't be long until it moves into the mainstream.

They told the Mail: "Although some might view the potential to use space to service the long-haul travel market as science fiction, we think there is a large market.

"While space tourism is still at a nascent phase, we think that as technology becomes proven, and the cost falls due to technology and competition, space tourism will become more mainstream."

SpaceX

This, experts claim, will only have a knock-on effect on space tourism, with hotels reportedly signing up to build on space stations in the future.

This would see the value of the wider space industry mushroom from its current figure of £300 billion ($400bn) to £610 billion ($805bn) by 2030, claims the Mail.

Analysts at UBS say that even if only a small number of passengers opt for rocket travel, it will make a shedload of cash for operators.

Last year, more than 150 million passengers flew for 10 hours or more on a long haul flight.

The only limit, it's claimed, ironically, is space: Elon Musk's Starship rockets only have a capacity of 100 and experts at USB says it's unlikely they will be able to accommodate more than 300 passengers in the near future.

Still, sign me up, lads.

Topics: Science, World News, UK News, Interesting, Technology, space

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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