Prince William slams space tourism and says billionaires should focus on saving Earth
By Hannah Ryan, CNN Business
Prince William has criticized billionaires who are focused on space tourism, saying they should instead be investing more time and money in saving Earth.
The Duke of Cambridge spoke about the current rush for space travel in an interview with the BBC’s Newscast podcast, which aired on Thursday.
He said: “We need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live.”
William, a former air ambulance helicopter pilot, stated that he had “absolutely no interest” in going as high as space.
He also expressed concerns over the environmental impact of space tourism, adding that there was a “fundamental question” over the carbon cost of space flights.
Prince William’s comments were broadcast just a day after “Star Trek” star William Shatner, 90, became the oldest person to go to space aboard a New Shepard spacecraft, developed by Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin — which blasted the billionaire himself into space this summer.
Bezos isn’t the only wealthy entrepreneur to make the leap into space travel recently.
In July, Richard Branson rode into space in a supersonic plane developed by his company, Virgin Galactic.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also been making forays into the space business — he founded SpaceX and, in September, the company’s Inspiration4 flight carried four tourists on a three-day orbital mission.
Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX are all expected to continue on in their push to promote space tourism.
The second in line to the British throne is a keen environmentalist and, later this month, will reveal the five winners of his Earthshot Prize — a Nobel-like prize for the environment.
The father-of-three emphasized his desire to ensure that his own children and future generations won’t have to worry about repairing the Earth, adding that it would be an “absolute disaster” if his son, Prince George, were to be talking about saving the planet in 30 years’ time.
The-CNN-Wire
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