Travel is reaching new heights, literally. In just a few years’ time, tourism will no longer be limited to the Earth. Instead, you could be hopping on a high-tech balloon that will take you to the edge of space.
While this sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, it is a fantasy that spaceflight startup Space Perspective is bringing to reality. And the company is doing so in a unique way. Rather than using rockets to reach these new heights (like other companies are doing), Space Perspective is using a balloon to take tourists 100,000 feet into the air — a balloon that is the size of a football stadium.
The concept of balloons in space is not new to the scene — scientists have been using balloons to explore the Earth’s atmosphere since the 1930s. However, Space Perspective has upgraded and updated the concept of a balloon as a vehicle to travel into space, and this way of travel means a much smoother experience for passengers. Rather than the G-forces that occur with a rocket launch, Space Perspective’s spaceship Neptune will smoothly ascend into the sky and descend back to Earth, with a comfortable and unforgettable trip the entire way.
Neptune will feature a bar, bathrooms, and plush reclining chairs to create the ultimate luxury experience, not to mention it will feature views that you never dreamed you would see. The journey will start before sunrise, so passengers will be traveling up to space in the dark sky with a view of the stars that only a select few have been lucky enough to see. If that’s not enough, just wait until sunrise hits. The view of watching the sun come up over the curvature of the Earth will give passengers the best view of their lives.
From start to finish, the Space Perspective experience lasts 6 hours and ends by splashing into the waters off the coast of Florida, where Neptune and its passengers will be picked up by a ship.
The price tag for this epic journey has not been labeled yet, but co-founders Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum estimate it may be around $125,000 per person. While this sounds like a hefty price, it is significantly less than competitors in space tourism who are looking at selling tickets on their rockets and planes for $250,000 per person.
Space Perspective plans to send Neptune into the sky for a test flight in early 2021 and send passengers on their first trip in 2024. If you’re interested in reserving your seat on this epic journey, head over to the Space Perspective website.