The opening of the famed TV series “Star Trek” is memorable. And at the time, it seemed a far cry from reality.
But thanks to a few pioneers — by the names of Bezos, Branson and Musk — this year got us that much closer to this reality.
On July 11, 2021, Sir Richard Branson joined a few fellow space explorers to travel at Mach 3 into space. As Branson said, “Just imagine a world where people of all ages, all backgrounds from anywhere of any gender or any ethnicity have equal access to space. If you’ve ever had a dream, now is the time to make it come true.”
A mere nine days later, Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company, Blue Origin, launched him and a small crew that included some of the oldest and youngest people to ever fly into space. As Blue Origin stated in its mission: “We’re committed to building a road to space so our children can build the future.”
On September 15th, Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched four civilians into space, traveling about 360 miles above Earth. Musk said that while early space tourism may be out of reach for all but the very wealthy, these pioneering missions will lay the groundwork for more affordable trips to space in the future.
Talk about vision statements for our future.
I’m not sure if I — or even my kids — will travel to space. Maybe my grandkids. But the fact that we have the technology, innovation, and capability to do so is inspiring.
Beyond space travel, questions arise. Does this bode well for our environment and resources in the future? Does it change the face of business and commerce? Entrepreneurial opportunities?
I’m going all in with YES.
When I think of those who are shaping our future through innovation, imagination and courage, the moves and the investments made by Sir Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are certainly driving what the future can be.
And with the last two years we’ve all experienced, I am inspired by what the future can bring. It should give us all hope and a sense that our society will advance in ways that only Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise could fathom.
