Space Perspective: Journey to the Edge of Space
Between Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX— not to mention the commercial space stations and hotels in the works — the 21st-century space race is in full swing. The billionaires may have a head start, but now another company is joining the excitement by planning to fly passengers to the edge of space — using a balloon.
Dubbed Spaceship Neptune, this high-performance balloon spans the length of a football field and features a pressurized cabin spacious enough to transport eight explorers to 100,000 feet, well above 99% of the earth’s atmosphere. The company behind this groundbreaking concept, Space Perspective, announced that the first uncrewed test flight is scheduled to launch early next year from its base of operations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“Today, it is more crucial than ever to see Earth as a planet, a spaceship for all humanity and our global biosphere,” stated Space Perspective founder and co-CEO Jane Poynter in a recent press release. “We’re committed to fundamentally changing the way people have access to space — both to perform much-needed research to benefit life on Earth and to impact how we view and connect with our planet.”
A pilot will guide Neptune on its six-hour round-trip journey, which includes a two-hour ascent, a two-hour cruise above the earth, and a two-hour descent, all while maintaining near zero-emissions and operating under the watchful eye of the FAA Office of Commercial Spaceflight. Moreover, additional launch sites in Alaska and Hawaii are planned for the future.
Considering the balloon’s gentle ascent and the capsule’s roomy interior, these flights are designed to be accessible to a broad segment of the population — as long as they can afford the cost of a ticket, reported to be US$125,000 per person. Poynter expressed, “That’s really what this is all about: everybody should be able to see the Earth from space. We want them to truly experience what astronauts describe — seeing the Earth in the blackness of the cosmos while looking down at the curvature of our planet.”
“People are more excited about space travel than ever before,” added Space Perspective co-CEO Taber MacCallum. “Few endeavors are as meaningful as enabling individuals to experience the awe-inspiring perspective of our home planet from space.” For further details, visit thespaceperspective.com.
