When someone says they're planning to take tourists to the edge of outer space with balloons, you might wonder if they'll make it past the concept stage. However, Space Perspective has overcome this problem by building a physical test model of the Neptune capsule.
The first time we heard about Florida-based Space Perspective was in 2020, when the company first announced its intention to send eight paying passengers (and one pilot) into an altitude of 100,000 feet (30,480 meters) for a six-hour flight, where the curvature of the Earth and the darkness of outer space were clearly visible.
Passengers will board a pressurized capsule called Neptune, which will be suspended under a "balloon the length of a football field" filled with hydrogen. It takes two hours to reach the predetermined height, followed by two hours of sightseeing and another two hours of descent. For completion, the gas is slowly released from the balloon.
The capsule will be equipped with plush seating, a refreshment bar, a Wi-Fi communication system capable of live streaming, 360-degree panoramic windows, and an underdeck toilet. Considering that the seats are already at 12Sold ahead of schedule for $50,000, this level of luxury is to be expected.
The just-completed Neptune test model is described as highly instrumented and represents "something the company will fly once it goes into commercial operation." That is, it also currently lacks a comfortable interior lounge, since it is only designed to make several test flights. The first of these flights will be manned, followed by manned flights scheduled for later next year.
Taber Maccallum, Founder and Co-CEO of Space Perspective, said: "The entire company is thrilled to achieve this milestone together and to see the Neptune spacecraft appear so spectacularly before our eyes. ”
The company is also reportedly nearing completion of the construction of the Marine Spaceport Voyager, from which the spacecraft will be launched and will be splashed from the ocean capsule and balloon.
If you like it, please pay attention to "Know the New"!