Luxury balloon flights to the edge of space are closer to becoming a reality in Central Florida.
Space Perspective Inc. has begun manufacturing Spaceship Neptune, the space capsule and lounge that will take passengers 100,000 feet above Earth's surface via a balloon.
It's the latest step forward for the 3-year-old company headquartered at Kennedy Space Center that aims to begin commercial flights by the end of 2024 and create 200-plus jobs in Brevard County.
The company’s trips will take up to eight passengers on a six-hour balloon journey that peaks nearly 20 miles above Earth. The gradual, 12-mile-per-hour climb, along with a two-hour stop at the edge of space, gives passengers plenty of time to soak in the views of Earth from above.
The patent-pending capsule design includes:
- A spherical shape that creates a roomier interior with more headroom and optimal pressure resistance
- A "splash cone" designed for gentle, safe splash-downs in the ocean at the end of the flight, where passengers will be retrieved by ship
- Reflective coating on the windows and center of the capsule similar to the coating used on an astronaut's helmet. This coating keeps the interior cool.
- A thermal control system that keeps the inside of the capsule at a consistent, comfortable temperature despite the temperature fluctuations happening outside
To see the interior and exterior of the capsule, check out the photo gallery above.
The company in April revealed renderings of the interior of Spaceship Neptune, the capsule where passengers will sit during the balloon ride. The lounge will feature reclining seats, a bar, information touchscreens and windows in the bathroom so passengers “never miss the incredible views,” according to the company's announcement. Readers can take a tour of the space lounge here.
To ensure passenger safety, the capsule will be equipped with backup parachutes and a proprietary flight system that gives the Space Perspective team control over takeoff and landing conditions, founder, co-CEO and Chief Technology Officer Taber MacCallum said in a prepared statement. "Simplicity and automation are the keys to safety."
Space Perspective is getting engineering help from global manufacturing giant Siemens AG. Siemens software simulated the six-hour trip and the environmental conditions it will encounter to figure out the safest, most comfortable environment for passengers. This helped Space Perspective develop its rounded capsule shape.
"The sky is no limit for digital transformation, and we are proud to play a part in helping Space Perspective get closer to their goal of lifting people into space in the safest and most stylish way possible," Siemens Digital Industries CEO Cedrik Neike said in a prepared statement.
The company already has sold 900 tickets, priced at $125,000 per person. In addition, it has raised $65 million since its founding. That includes a recent $17 million investment round announced May 19.
The company employs more than 70 people, and expects that number to reach 100 by the end of the year, founder and co-CEO Jane Poynter previously told Orlando Inno. Space Perspective currently seeks to fill six positions, according to its LinkedIn page.
Meanwhile, the firm’s presence in Central Florida soon may bring construction and hundreds of new jobs. The company plans to build a 120,000-square-foot Titusville manufacturing facility by 2023, creating 240 full-time, high-wage jobs by 2026.
The emerging space tourism industry is a potential economic driver for the aerospace sector in Brevard County, the longtime home of NASA's Kennedy Space Center and a flourishing private aerospace sector anchored by operations of Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin LLC. Investment bank UBS projects the space tourism sector will be worth $4 billion by 2030.
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