This Balloon Capsule Will Take People to the Edge of Space

Space travel is still massively unaffordable for the average person. The mega-rich can cough up billions of dollars to travel the cosmos but the rest of us have bills to pay. Still, there are signs that space voyages could soon become more budget-friendly. Take, for instance, Space Perspective, a luxury spaceflight startup with plans to bring people to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in a balloon-powered craft. The company just recently unveiled the capsule that will be attached to its proprietary SpaceBalloon. The spherical Space Lounge will provide passengers with 360-degree views of the Earth below while its shape provides some extra resistance to the immense pressure. The capsule will enhance the views for passengers by using satellite imagery and cameras that can zoom in and out, presumably so you can find your house when you’re up there. While the capsule is up there, it will rely on reflective window coating and a patent-pending thermal control system to keep temperatures regulated in the cabin. When the capsule heads back down, it should softly meet the water thanks to its splash cone before a Space Perspective ship retrieves the passengers, the capsule, and the balloon. Space Perspective is planning to begin offering six-hour round-trip space flights by the end of 2024. The company is already manufacturing its first Spaceship Neptune at its facility near the Kennedy Space Center and it said it has already sold 900 tickets. Now Space Perspective is accepting reservations for 2025 and beyond with tickets priced at $125,000 per person. That’s still a crazy amount of money, but compared to the reported $5.5 billion that Jeff Bezos spent for a couple of minutes in space, it’s a steal.