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In the world of mobility there are two main types of insurances: motor vehicle and travel insurance.
And while, I’m sure, you all know the basics of what each of them covers, let me surprise you here by saying that travel insurance will expand to… space.
Yes, you read that correctly. Travel insurance company Battleface has launched its services for space tourists, Travel Daily News reports.
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So, what does a space travel insurance cover? As per Battleface, there are many benefits included such as accidental death and permanent disablement.
Well, going to space is and inherently dangerous business. Say the spaceship catches fire during launch… everything goes wrong and you’re lost in space forever. But don’t worry, at least you can be insured.
Sasha Gainullin, CEO of Battleface, said:
Today’s landscape mirrors the early days of air travel back at the beginning of last century. […] The first policy for aviation was written in 1911 and in 1927 the first transatlantic flight flown by Charles Lindbergh was insured. We are excited to be one of the first companies in 2021 to be providing insurance to space tourism pioneers who want to have the freedom to travel into space.”
Of course, not everyone will have the freedom to travel into space, or to be exact, the financial means.
Too expensive
Battleface’s policy is valid for any of the space flights operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, and high-tech balloon manufacturers, Space Perspective, among others.
A seat on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon costs the exorbitant amount of $55 million. Trips aboard the Blue Origin’s New Shepard were auctioned for $28 million. Riding on Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity will cost passengers $250,000 apiece. And tickets for Space Perspective’s Neptune One balloon start at $125,000.
All this seems very excessive, given that we’re at least decades aways from seeing suborbital transportation and space travel becoming an integral part of mobility.
But if we really think about it, they are indeed infiltrating it.
Civilians, although not regular ones, like Musk, Branson, and Bezos have already made their first trip to space. Plus, all the companies mentioned in the insurance plans are planning commercial flights within the next three years.
So, it is kinda happening now.
Yes, commercial space travel is still in its infancy, but the fact that insurance companies are eyeing a place within this industry makes me wonder whether we’ll be alive to witness mobility moving from the earth to the stars.
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