A Florida-based company, Space Perspective, has taken a significant step towards offering commercial space tourism experiences with the successful test flight of its Spaceship Neptune-Excelsior. This blog post explores the company’s ambitious plans, technical advancements, and the thrilling future of space exploration.
Reaching New Heights
The event was a significant step for the company in its path toward human spaceflight — Space Perspective calls flights of this kind the Neptune Series 1. In case of the Neptune-Excelsior, as it soared to 100,000 feet almost perfectly, it was again a testament to their ability in developing a reliable and comfortable space tourism experience.
The crewed test flight included the launch of a wide 550-foot-long space balloon that lifted an all-new 16-foot-diameter silver metal capsule, designed to have the largest windows on any high altitude flight. Passengers are supposed to have a glorious 360-degree panorama of the curvature of Earth and its space-ward blackness, all in a comfortable, pressurised environment not dissimilar to that found on a business jet.
Pioneering a Unique Approach
At Space Perspective, we approach this problem differently than Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin by going after a different piece of the space tourism market, one that is more regular and accessible than suborbital rocket launches. Their system is less about training (it flies from balloons) and can be used by a broader customer base, such as people with limited mobility.
Hiring at zero carbon footprint by only using hydrogen gas to power the balloon is another feature that distinguishes the company from other already established space tourism rockets. In addition, given the increasing consumer demand for eco-friendly experiences over the past few years, this focus on environmental sustainability could make Space Perspective’s product more palpable.
The company is positioning itself as a frontier player in the nascent space tourism industry, announcing its plans to offer up to 140 flights per location each year and to target multiple locations worldwide.
Conclusion
The successful test flight carried out by Space Perspective and its plan for the future are an important part of bringing space exploration to the masses. With a vision that will be both popular and practical it is likely to capture the imagination of a wider public than before, and for future generations stir aspirations of ever further heavenward travel. As the industry moves forward it is successes like this one in Florida that poo-pooers of all things high tech need to keep in mind if they are trying with breathless excitement over what the future could bring.
