Space - the ultimate frontier for voyagers and moneymen

Humanity has long been fascinated by the skies, but only a select few have experienced the beauty of Earth from above.

- Lee Siew Hua

I remember a day in Antarctica, when it seemed to me I had landed on another planet. On that frozen summer's day, a playful minke whale appeared, as our seven Zodiac boats cruised among icebergs under a lustrous sky.

After circling us inquisitively, the torpedo-shaped whale dived soundlessly under my dinghy, so close that I could discern the delicate golden algae on its skin. That moment distilled the seventh continent for us: a wild, white and wonderful world. I imagined this was the closest we would get to an out-of-this-world experience.

Then in August, I met executives from spaceflight company Virgin Galactic at a Singapore media lunch hosted by local luxury travel company Intriq Journey.

Virgin Galactic, founded by British entrepreneur and adventurer Richard Branson, launched its first tourist flight in the suborbital spacecraft Unity in 2023. Passengers admired the Earth's curvature and experienced weightlessness in the cosmos.

In suborbital travel, spaceships reach altitudes of 100km at Mach 3 speed - 3,700kmh. This is three times the speed of sound.

Fewer than 700 people have ventured into the galaxy. At least two Singaporeans have signed up for Virgin Galactic flights through Intriq Journey, with others expressing interest.

ENDLESS HOUR, EARTH'S CURVATURE

At our lunch, astronaut instructor Colin Bennett remarked that the fleeting hour-long voyage on the spacecraft will feel "endless".

Being in space seems unnatural, he said, adding: "Yet the weightlessness is so natural and intuitive."

At the table, we discussed the perceived elitism of space forays, since each adventure costs a stratospheric US$600,000 (S$784,000). The ticket price includes community events in the three-year run-up to the take-off, and spaceflight training at Virgin Galactic's spaceport in New Mexico, US.