Space colonization

Introduction
Pros
- Pro 1: Space colonization can save our species from suffering and extinction.
- Pro 2: Space colonization is the next logical step in space exploration and human growth.
- Pro 3: Space colonization can exist alongside conservation efforts on Earth.
Cons
- Con 1: Humans living in space is pure science fiction.
- Con 2: Earth should be cleaned up first before we potentially destroy an extraterrestrial land.
- Con 3: Life in space, even if possible, would be miserable.
Timeline: Commercial space travel
- 1998 - Eric C. Anderson co-founds Space Adventures
- 1999 - Richard Branson registers “Virgin Galactic” name
- 2000 - Spaceflight company Blue Origin founded
- April 28, 2001 - Dennis Tito becomes first space tourist
- March 14, 2002 - SpaceX founded
- April 25, 2002 - Mark Shuttleworth is first South African in space and second space tourist
- 2004-2005 - Virgin Galactic founded and begins advertising space flights
- October 1, 2005 - Gregory Olsen is the third space tourist
- September 15, 2021 - First orbital mission with no professional astronauts aboard
- September 18, 2006 - Anousheh Ansari becomes the first female space tourist, as well as the first Muslim woman and first person of Iranian descent to go to space
- April 7, 2007 - Charles Simonyi becomes fifth space tourist
- September 24, 2008 - Enomoto Daisuke sues Space Adventures for canceled trip
- October 12, 2008 - Richard Garriott, son of NASA astronaut, becomes space tourist
- March 26, 2009 - Charles Simonyi becomes first repeat space tourist
- September 30, 2009 - Cirque du Soleil co-founder Guy Laliberté becomes first Canadian Space Tourist
- 2009-2020 - Russia halts space tourism
- May 25, 2012 - SpaceX Dragon capsule first commercial spacecraft to dock at International Space Station
- May 2020 - SpaceX becomes first commercial spaceship to take NASA astronauts to space
- January 28, 2021 - Russian Glavkosmos sells commercial seats on Soyuz flights
- July 11, 2021 - First Virgin Galactic flight launches
- July 20, 2021 - First Blue Origin sub-orbital space flight
- October 5, 2021 - Actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko film movie aboard ISS
- December 8, 2021 - Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano become first Japanese space tourists
- April 8, 2022 - First SpaceX flight with paying customers
- April 25, 2022 - Larry Connor first to go to space and the depths of the ocean within a year
- January 2022 - ISS film production studio and sports arena announced
- June 29, 2023 - Virgin Galactic launches first commercial flight fully into space
- September 12, 2024 - Jared Isaacman takes first commerical spacewalk
- September 12, 2024 - Sarah Gillis takes second commercial spacewalk
- January 18, 2024 - First all-European commercial flight to ISS
- April 14, 2025 - All-female Blue Origin flight
Assessment quiz
1-minute survey
Discussion questions
Sources

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Space colonization

Infographic depicting the Space Race between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. from 1957 to 1969, with a central rocket illustration and milestone achievements listed on either side. Soviet milestones on the left include the first artificial satellite, first animal in space, first human in orbit, and first woman in space. U.S. milestones on the right include the first American in orbit, first American spacewalk, first docking in space, and the first humans landing on the Moon. The timeline highlights ke

The video thumbnail image shows an astronaut in space.

Artist's illustration of a futuristic human colony on Mars, showing dome-shaped buildings on a red dusty plain with mountains and a moon in the background.

Sir Richard Branson smiling, seated indoors against a light-colored wall, wearing a dark shirt.

Shuttleworth, Mark

Anousheh Ansari

Space colonization: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

The Editors of ProCon
ProCon's editors write and verify new content and update existing content. ProCon presents the pro and con arguments to debatable issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.

Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Discussion questions standardized.	The Editors of ProCon	Jul 23, 2026
	Photo added.	The Editors of ProCon	Feb 04, 2026
	Update to intro & formatting fixes.	The Editors of ProCon	Dec 01, 2025
	Quiz added.	The Editors of ProCon	Jun 26, 2025
	Links added.	The Editors of ProCon	Jun 17, 2025
	Text adjusted.	The Editors of ProCon	Jun 17, 2025
	Text adjusted.	The Editors of ProCon	Jun 16, 2025
	Text adjusted.	The Editors of ProCon	Jun 16, 2025
	Links added.	The Editors of ProCon	Jun 16, 2025
	Overall content update; addition of timeline.	The Editors of ProCon	May 06, 2025
	Survey added.	The Editors of ProCon	May 06, 2025
	Text adjusted.	The Editors of ProCon	May 06, 2025
	Update to all-female Blue Origin space flight.	The Editors of ProCon	Apr 14, 2025
	All-female Blue Origin space flight added to intro.	The Editors of ProCon	Mar 18, 2025
	Addition to Con 3 and addition of Europa launch to intro.	The Editors of ProCon	Jan 09, 2025
	Links added, text clarified.	The Editors of ProCon	Dec 03, 2024
	Links added, text and sources updated.	The Editors of ProCon	Dec 02, 2024
	New article added.	The Editors of ProCon	Nov 08, 2024