How Spaceflight Helps to Solve Humanity’s Biggest Challenges and Why We Must Go
If you read this headline and immediately feel skeptical, then this article is for you. If you take the time to read this and come with a willingness to expand your understanding and do some critical thinking, I promise you will learn something and hopefully walk away with a different perspective.
I am genuinely surprised at all the backlash and negative sentiment towards NS-31, Blue Origin’s all female crew flight on 14 April 2025. Each of these humans, who just so happen to be women, are remarkable and highly accomplished.
Aisha Bowe: Former NASA rocket scientist and CEO of STEMBoard, Aisha is a STEM advocate dedicated to empowering underrepresented communities through education and technology.
Amanda Nguyen: Bioastronautics researcher and civil rights activist, Amanda is the founder of Rise and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her work on the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights.
Gayle King: Award-winning journalist and co-host of CBS Mornings, Gayle is known for her impactful interviews and contributions to broadcast journalism.
Katy Perry: Global pop superstar and philanthropist, Katy is recognized for her musical achievements and advocacy work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Kerianne Flynn: Film producer and community advocate, Kerianne has worked on projects highlighting gender equality and serves on various nonprofit boards.
Lauren Sánchez: Journalist, pilot, and vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, Lauren organized the NS-31 mission, emphasizing storytelling and representation in space exploration.
From Left to Right: Lauren Sanchez, Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, Gayle King, Amanda Nguyen (Photo: Blue Origin)
At the same time, I am not surprised because in the political environment of 2025 nothing really follows traditional patterns or established norms anymore. I get that a lot of people are hurting. We are in unprecedented and highly uncertain times. But amidst all the chaos, misogyny, prejudice, and xenophobia masked as nationalism, I can’t help but have hope for humanity. I’m the hopeless optimist who was raised on Star Trek: The Next Generation who chooses to believe that humanity can come together and become a unified, spacefaring species.
Hi, I’m Christopher Huie aka “Chuie.” Almost 2 years ago, I became one of the first 20 Black Americans to fly to space. I’m a speaker, rocket scientist, and social impact leader for diversity in STEM. I am an expert in the aerospace industry, having collected a wide range of unique professional experiences for the last 15 years of my career. I flew to space as part of my job, which technically makes me a Mission Specialist. But it also technically makes me an Astronaut by some definitions. Or maybe a Commercial Astronaut? Commercial human spaceflight is still really new, so we haven’t really settled on a consistent and agreed upon name for people who fly to space on a commercial suborbital flight and experience mere minutes of microgravity time. And that’s ok. We’ll get there, this discomfort in failing to assign immutable labels will pass with time.
That’s kind of the point of this article. Commercial spaceflight is still really new and has so much potential. But just because space is commercial now doesn’t make rocket launches any easier. It’s still hard. It still takes the most brilliant and dedicated minds. It’s still expensive. And it still moves slow. This is why space has been the realm of governments for decades since its inception in the 1950s until recently. However, technology has advanced quite a bit, and we just barely have the technology to make it accessible to civilians. But we do have it.
As an expert in the field, I’d like to provide rationale responses and learning opportunities for the main criticisms and logical fallacies that I’ve heard about commercial human spaceflight.
“Space is Just a Playground for the Wealthy and Elite”
This one is emotional, because in my line of work I have come to know a lot of astronauts, both commercial and NASA astronauts. In my experience, they’re pretty much all good people. Yes, many of them rich, but there are many who are not. They’re just passionate about space and know how to hustle and grind to get what they want.
Nevertheless, I completely understand how the optics of flying to space seems out of touch with whatever your struggles are, especially in these times of economic uncertainty and hardship. Optics are not everything. Life is complex, multifaceted. Nothing is rarely as it seems.
We need to separate what space is now from what it’s becoming. There is so much potential and opportunity in space for all of us that we truly are at the very beginning. It is true that today, commercial human spaceflight (or “space tourism”) is expensive. It’s being pioneered by people with access to capital and risk tolerance. But that’s not unusual, that’s literally how every new technology starts. Change is hard. And people who can afford to take more risk tend to be more open to change and trying new things.
Let’s take a moment to ground this in real-world precedent:
Cell Phones: In 1984, the cheapest mobile phone cost around $4,000. Critics said they were status symbols, with no utility or economic opportunity. Today, around 7 billion people have access to one. In both the developed world and developing world, cell phones are more than just conveniences, they are a necessity to be an active member of society.
Commercial Air Travel: In 1930, a coast-to-coast flight cost the modern equivalent of $5,000. Critics called it indulgent and impractical. Today, over 5 billion of people fly every year as part of everyday life, connecting families, economies, and cultures.
Personal Computers: In 1977, an Apple II computer cost over $10,000. Critics asked, “Who needs a computer in the home?” Today, computers are essential for school, work, and life and you can get one for as little as $200.
It’s not that cell phones, air travel, and personal computers were inherently elitist. They were simply in the early adopter phase, just like commercial human spaceflight is today.
In each of these examples, the initial phase was exclusive, but necessary. The early adopter phases created the feedback loops, cost reductions, and infrastructure we now rely on as essential and “too big to fail” technologies. Space is following the same trajectory. We’re not building joyrides. We’re building the future backbone of off-Earth logistics, climate science, communication, and transportation all while introspectively exploring humanity itself via the Overview Effect.
The Pattern We Keep Forgetting
Here’s the framework I want you to hold in your mind as we move through this: the Technology Adoption Lifecycle. We are still in the first stage of the lifecycle of commercial human spaceflight: The Innovators.
Technology Adoption Lifecycle
Every transformative technology follows the same pattern:
Innovators take the first leap, usually with wealth or influence.
Early adopters refine it, de-risk it, and build the infrastructure.
Then the early majority joins in.
Soon after, the late majority and even the laggards can no longer hold out or have no choice but to get on board.
Cell phones, personal computers, cars, electricity, air travel all started as luxuries for the elite. They were all criticized, doubted, or mocked in the early days.
“Why would I pay $4,000 to carry a phone around?”
“Cars are loud, dangerous, and useless, they’ll never replace horses.”
You’ve heard versions of these before. You might even hear echoes of them in today’s headlines about space. This type of criticism isn’t new. It’s just early-phase thinking; looking at a developing technology through a short-term, narrow lens.
The Long Game: Why People Miss the Real ROI
Here’s the core misunderstanding about spaceflight: most people are using the wrong time scale. They want to judge spaceflight by the standards of immediate Return on Investment (ROI). But space doesn’t work in months or quarters. The aerospace industry is notoriously slow. It works in decades.
Think about this: The first weather satellites launched in the 1960s. Today, they save lives every hurricane season. The Apollo program cost over $25 billion in the 1960s and inspired an entire generation globally in the process. Today, the benefits of that initial investment continue to give us advances in materials, computing, global broadcasting, and medical tools that power the world we live in now.
When people say, “What’s the ROI of space?” what they’re really asking is: “What’s the ROI this year?” That’s not a fair question. You don’t build a highway system for next year. You don’t fund public education for next quarter. And you don’t explore new frontiers for short-term gains. You do it because you’re building something bigger. You do it because the payoff is enormous. It arrives later, but it lasts for generations.
“We Should Fix Earth First”
This is a very common critique. “We have too many problems here on Earth to be wasting money on space.” At first glance, this sounds like wisdom. But it’s built on a false dilemma… the idea that we can only focus on one issue at a time. That we must choose between solving problems here and investing in breakthroughs beyond.
That’s not how complex systems or responsible leadership works. We walk and chew gum at the same time. We invest in public health and infrastructure. We innovate in renewable energy and education. We pay our debts and go on vacation (or worse, go into debt to go on vacation… in advisable, but you do you).
As it turns out, space is one of the most powerful tools we have for understanding and improving life on Earth.
Consider this: Climate science—including your daily weather forecast? Comes from satellites. Disaster response? Enabled by orbital imaging. Global internet access? Made possible by satellite constellations. Food security and agriculture? Monitored from space.
Without space-based data, we’d be flying blind when it comes to tackling the most urgent issues of our time. We would be just as clueless as the dinosaurs just before they went extinct. We would have no logical answers for why things are changing around us, only unprovable theories and wild speculation.
So, the next time someone says, “Fix Earth first,” the right response is: “Solving for space IS solving for Earth.” Because we don’t just go to space to explore what’s out there. We go to better understand what’s happening right here. We go to build tools that monitor our planet’s health. We go to innovate technologies that solve problems on Earth. We go to inspire generations of problem-solvers who’ll shape our shared future.
We go to space not in spite of Earth’s challenges, but because of them.
“Space Doesn’t Help Me”
Actually… I’m not going to touch this one. The short answer is, yes it does. And you probably wouldn’t be reading these words right now had not been for our decades of investment in space. NASA has already discussed this one at length: Value of NASA website
“Space Travel is Bad for the Environment”
This argument often comes from good intentions—concern for the planet and for emissions. This is great! Thank you for caring about the planet. Everyone in the space community does too, that’s why we do what we do. However, this argument is often based on incomplete data, unfair comparisons, misconceptions, and lack of expertise.
Yes, rocket launches produce emissions. But let’s be specific. It’s important to get specific. Speaking in generalities doesn’t allow us to get into the very important nuances, nuances that if misunderstood or miscommunicated lead to exactly false conclusions. And wouldn’t you rather be right than wrong?
All global space launches combined represent a tiny fraction of annual emissions, less than 0.01% of global CO₂ output. In contrast, commercial aviation contributes over 2.5%, and road transport is closer to 15%.
The second fallacy here is assuming that all rockets are the same. They’re not. Reusable rockets like SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Blue Origin’s New Shepard are dramatically reducing waste and cost. Cleaner propellants like liquid oxygen, hydrogen, and methane are already in use. But what does “cleaner” even mean? Great question critical reader! The answer is nuanced, as you might expect. Burning methane still produces greenhouse gases, but less soot and uncombusted hydrocarons in the upper atmosphere than traditional propellants like kerosene and certainly less than solid propellants. Furthermore, hydrogen and oxygen, which is what Blue Origin’s NS-31 uses, combust to create water vapor, with only tiny trace amounts of other stuff.
By comparison, it’s important to point out that nearly every sustainable solution we’re building on Earth today also required emissions to get started: Solar panels require rare earth mining. Wind turbines require steel and transport. Electric vehicles still rely on carbon-intensive supply chains like rare earth mining. We accept these tradeoffs because the long-term payoff is worth it. Space should be no different.
The Human Impact: Space Changes People
There’s something else space does that’s harder to measure, but no less important: it changes people. I know because I am one of those people, and a lot of my friends are too.
When astronauts go to space, they don’t just come back with photos. They come back with perspective. It’s called The Overview Effect – a transformative cognitive shift that happens when you see the Earth from space. You realize how small, interconnected, and fragile we really are. To quote Katy Perry: “I feel super connected to love.”
William Shatner’s post space-flight words are a perfect illustration of The Overview Effect in action:
"It's a little tiny rock with an onion skin air around it. That's how fragile it all is. It's so fragile. We hang by a thread ... we're just dangling."
"We're entangled with each other […] We have a war ... the stupidity of it all is so obvious."
We need more of this. A lot more. Could you imagine if every fortune 500 CEO, every world leader, every schoolteacher had this 1st hand perspective?
This perspective often leads astronauts to take action and create measurable and meaningful impact back on Earth:
Mae Jemison (NASA): The first Black woman in space, she founded the 100 Year Starship initiative and the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence to advance interstellar exploration and STEM access.
William Shatner (Blue Origin): After his Blue Origin flight, he wrote Boldly Go, reflecting on the grief and awe he felt seeing Earth from space—advocating for environmental stewardship and global awareness.
Dr. Sian Proctor (SpaceX): The first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft (Inspiration4); she now leads efforts to promote Afrofuturism, space equity, and science storytelling through art.
Mark Kelly (NASA): Became a U.S. Senator advocating for veterans, healthcare, education, and science-informed policy.
Anousheh Ansari (Soyuz): After becoming the first female private space explorer, she helped launch the XPRIZE Foundation and continues to champion entrepreneurship, innovation, and global equity.
Katya Echazarreta (Blue Origin): Became the first Mexican-born woman in space and launched Katya’s Space Foundation to fund STEM education and space access for underserved youth across Latin America.
Nicole Stott (NASA): Co-founded the Space for Art Foundation, blending art, healing, and science to support children in hospitals and refugee camps while advocating for planetary unity.
Christina Koch (NASA): A vocal advocate for gender equity in STEM and a visible role model for future explorers.
Ron Garan (NASA): Created Fragile Oasis and worked on humanitarian missions connecting orbital insights to global development.
Edgar Mitchell (NASA): Founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences, exploring human consciousness and global cooperation.
The most powerful thing we bring back from space is perspective. Perspective leads to positive change. Enough change will lead to universal prosperity.
Constructive Skepticism: Why Naysayers Matter
Criticism has its place. In fact, we need it. Naysayers aren’t the enemy; they’re part of the process. They push innovators to be more ethical, more inclusive, more sustainable. All great things! This is why diversity matters, and we need a wide range of perspectives in all that we do, not just space.
Let’s look at some examples of how haters support the innovation process. Criticism of automobile safety led to seatbelts and crash tests. Environmental concerns drove improvements in air conditioning and fuel efficiency. Tech accessibility debates drove UI design and affordability in personal computing.
Even space benefits from healthy scrutiny. We’ve seen calls for better DEI representation in astronaut corps—just look at the NASA Artemis II crew. Commercial human spaceflight has made the biggest strides on this front, the face of space is more diverse and inclusive than ever before. We’ve seen pressure on companies to offset emissions and contribute to Earth-focused missions. And we’ve seen regulators adapt to keep pace with safety and equity.
While critics help sharpen the mission, we can’t let short-term fear stall long-term vision.
Why We Must Go
Why is it imperative that we continue to send people to space? To explore, yes. But also, to innovate. To solve. To unify. We must go to understand our planet – its systems, its limits, and its possibilities. We must go to protect it – through science, perspective, and global cooperation. We must go because all the technologies we now rely on were once experiments. Because every great leap forward began with a step that someone called “a waste.” We must go not just for what we’ll find, but for who we’ll become in the process.
Final Word
Space isn’t just about rockets or billionaires. It’s about building the systems, technologies, and mindset humanity needs to thrive in the 21st century and beyond. It’s not a luxury. It’s not a distraction. It’s a long-term investment along a predictable technology adoption curve. It’s the most challenging and exciting solution to humanity and Earth’s biggest challenges. It’s a mirror, a laboratory, and a test of our collective vision.
If we rise to meet it, future generations won’t remember the headlines or the skeptics. They’ll remember that we chose to build and be thankful that we did.
That is why we must go.
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Christopher Huie is a commercial astronaut, aerospace engineer, speaker, and STEM equity leader. As one of the first 20 Black Americans to fly to space, he brings a rare blend of lived experience and technical insight to global conversations about space, inclusion, and the pursuit of excellence.
Learn more about Christopher here and follow Christopher’s trajectory @astrochuie on Instagram.
