Journey into the stratosphere

Approximately 600 people have expressed a desire to pay $125,000 each to see views of the Earth from an altitude of 30 km. This was reported by Jane Poynter in an interview with the UPI news agency on Tuesday.

Space Perspective announced plans two years ago to take tourists to the upper atmosphere in a sealed capsule called Spaceship Neptune, suspended from a balloon.

The company also conducted a successful test of the crewless blimp last June, at which time it began offering spots to those wishing to make the trip to the edge of space.

According to Poynter, the flights are expected to begin in 2024. Those who have booked their seats have made deposits of $1,000 each.

The company said it plans 25 missions with eight tourists each in the first year, then the number of flights will increase.

The hydrogen-filled balloon will be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The journey will take six hours.

The company promises Spaceship Neptune's passengers comfortable conditions: large portholes offering a 360-degree panoramic view, padded seats or sofas, a toilet, a bar with alcoholic beverages, including champagne, snacks and Internet access. The company also said that passengers will unfortunately not be able to experience weightlessness due to insufficient altitude, but special preparation for the flight is not required.

Spaceship Neptune has made no secret of the fact that it would like to join the burgeoning space tourism industry and lure potential customers for a suborbital flight. NASA and the US Air Force consider the boundary of space to be 80 km, although according to the classification of the International Aviation Federation it is at an altitude of 100 km.

Two American companies, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, offer similar services. Virgin Galactic sells seats on its Unity ship for $450,000, its competitor has not yet disclosed how much a 10-minute flight to 100 km altitude would cost for its customers.

Space Perspective was founded in 2019 and it is headquartered in Florida.

Board members and advisors of the company:

Jane Poynter - Founder and Co-CEO;
Taber MacCallum - Founder and Co-CEO;
Alan Eustace - Founding Board Member;
Anton Brevede - Board Member;
Brandon Simmons - Board Member;
Chris Kidd - Founding Senior Advisor;
David Grutman - Experience Curator;
Jeff Hoffman - Senior Technical Advisor;
Rodger Farley - Balloon Systems;
Henry Cathey Jr. - SpaceBalloon Advisor.