Four astronauts arrived at the International SPace Station in SpaceX’s Dragon capsule in the last few weeks. This is the first time ever that a private company has launched a crew. Prior to this, no astronauts had departed from the Kennedy Space Centre since 2011. Founded by Elon Musk, SpaceX aims to eventually normalise space travel, allowing humans to holiday to the stars.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, this seemingly positive news has been seen by many as a beacon of hope. 2020 has hardly been a year to celebrate: it started off bleakly with the news of Australian fires, only to get worse and worse; a pandemic, the threat of war with Iran and a generally disheartening political climate. But, should we put aside these calamities and focus on good news?
On the surface, good news seems beneficial, particularly space travel. The idea of travelling beyond our planet is an exciting prospect when life on Earth has become so miserable. What child hasn’t dreamed of flying to the moon? However, it is imperative that we do not let this excitement blind us from the extraordinary suffering happening on our own planet.
It is all very well to tell people to focus on the positives, especially when coming from a place of privilege. Yet, it is vital that we do not forget those who are suffering the most, especially as a result of the pandemic.
This year has been hard. Yes, the prospect of space travel is compelling news. But when the height of your suffering has been not being able to go outside for a few months, is it really fair to tell people to “just focus on the positives”?.
It is essential that we remember that this pandemic has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable members of society. For example, among men in England and Wales, those from a Black-African background were more likely to die at a rate of 2.7 times higher than their white counterparts.
The facts are clear: as SpaceX propels rockets into space, people are dying.
But surely, we should focus on good news? Surely, the prospect of multiplanetary travel is something that could unite us all with the prospect of a better future. Or is it? At the end of the day, it is an undeniable fact that only the rich will be able to benefit from it. Elon Musk may like to paint a picture of himself as a philanthropic billionaire, but this is an oxymoron. Whether he likes it or not, he is the epitome of capitalism.
Rather than uniting the world under some utopian vision of abandoning Earth and starting life in another galaxy, all he will do is expand the exploitative system to outer space. It is not too dystopian to imagine a world where the elite leave our dying planet with hope of a better future and the poor are left to rot on Earth.
Should our focus not be on the billions of people suffering on Earth, rather than a scheme which will inevitably benefit only the rich? The truth is undeniable: we live in a world where 2,153 billionaires are richer than 4.6 million people.
This is not intended to be a pessimistic view. By all means, be exuberant at the prospect of space travel. Allow yourself to daydream about a better future on some distant planet, but do not daydream so much that you forget the plight of the people suffering here. We are light-years away from quelling injustice, and we must not allow visions of solace among the stars to let us forget this.
Ada Dajani
Image source: Wikimedia Commons