Abstract:
As a burgeoning industry, the development of space tourism is a historical outcome arising from the interaction among productive forces, spatial expansion of capital, and social relations of production. Building upon existing academic foundations, this paper employs a deepened three-dimensional framework of "productive forces-capital logic-alienation theory" for analysis. Findings indicate: Firstly, the systematic advancement of new quality productive forces, marked by breakthroughs in reusable rocket technology which has reduced launch costs significantly, lays the material foundation for space tourism. Secondly, driven by the tendency of the rate of profit to fall, capital extends into low Earth orbit through a "spatial fix" strategy, embodying the dialectical unity of "capital spatialization" and "space capitalization" within an industry whose global market scale now exceeds 500 billion. Thirdly, space tourism exhibits a complex duality of alienation—manifesting deeply under capitalist logic while containing a liberating potential contingent upon changes in ownership. Critically engaging with theories of spatial production, this paper analyzes the tension between space's natural and social attributes. Finally, it explores differentiated pathways under the concept of a “community with a shared future for mankind,” referencing China's institutional explorations such as the latest three-year action plan for commercial space as potential frameworks for guiding space development toward broader public benefit.