2 Attachment(s)
Forget Rockets, This Balloon Company Will Take You To Space For $125,000
Amongst the rise in space exploration interest among the wealthy, a company that has gained some attention is Space Perspective, which offers balloon-driven rides into the atmosphere for around $125,000. Of course, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have been all over the news lately, and for good reason. The two companies have started to take regular people on an exciting, rocket-fueled ride into space. Space Perspective, on the other hand, is aiming for something a little different.
Of course, tickets to board a touring space plane or rocket don't come cheap, at all. Private citizens are looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions to board a short flight to space. Since the commercial business of space travel is fairly new to the general public, these companies haven't exactly nailed down their pricing, which leaves only the wealthy to hope for a ride on board.
In light of this, a company called Space Perspective has emerged. The company announced today that $40 million had been raised in Series A funding, which will allow the company to start taking passengers to the skies in late 2024. Rather than big rockets or space planes, Space Perspective is opting to use a high-altitude balloon with a pressurized capsule named Spaceship Neptune up 20 miles into the sky. Prior to the first flight, 475 seats have already been reserved for flights 1 through 30. A $1,000 deposit is required in advance per seat. When the time comes for a flight, passengers will be charged $125,000.
Luxury Oriented
There are quite a few differences between a rocket ride over 50 miles straight up and a 6-hour balloon ride 20 miles up. Obviously, the ascension will not be as intense in a balloon compared to taking off in a rocket. This makes for a much more gentle ride, aiming at a more luxurious experience rather than a heart-pumping journey. The company stated that any age will be able to fly and will not be required to have any physical training, unlike NASA astronauts. According to the company, "if you are medically fit to board an airplane, then you are well-suited for this journey." Not to mention, the capsule will contain a bathroom and a bar for passengers to grab a drink while they ascend into the atmosphere.
The craft will only rise up to around 20 miles above the Earth and will take two hours to climb to that height. Once at apogee, Spaceship Neptune will hang around for another two hours for passengers to take in the view and enjoy their time at over 100,000 feet above sea level. As soon as the 4 hours is up, the balloon will start descending gently and splash into the ocean similar to a NASA capsule recovery.
Though passengers won't experience weightlessness or technically climb into space, the experience is cool nonetheless. Seeing the Earth reflecting light at sunrise from an extremely high altitude is surely an amazing experience, and being able to soak it in for a couple of hours before descending may be a more favorable experience than a Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic flight. Flights don't begin until 2024, and as of now, they cost around $250,000 per passenger. It'll be interesting to see how the Space Perspective experience compares in an increasingly competitive public space travel economy.
