BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Titusville company Space Perspective had a successful first flight of its Neptune capsule (and its second uncrewed test) recently. It is designed to be attached to a huge balloon where tourists can get a view of Earth that only astronauts get to see.
What You Need To Know
- The Neptune capsule will be attached to a space balloon
- It will be launched from the company’s Marine Spaceport Voyager ship
- The first crewed test flight is geared toward the end of 2025
Space Perspective’s Marine Spaceport Voyager ship sailed into Port Canaveral earlier this week with the Neptune aboard, showcasing the capsule’s ability to launch and be recovered from anywhere in the world.
The Neptune, named Excelsior, is a test capsule that was used to gather data from its flight, which will then be analyzed and used to build its next human-rated capsule.
Each flight lasts approximately six to seven hours, and you will be launched from Voyager. There is a two-hour ascent period into the atmosphere traveling at 12 mph (19 kph) until you reach your apogee at 100,000 feet (30,480 meters), where you will stay for two hours, before the two-hour descent stage where you will splash down and be recovered by the Marine Spaceport Voyager.
The space balloon that is used to raise the capsules is 550 feet (168 meters) long, with roughly 150 feet (46 meters) of deck space on board the Voyager. Space Perspective utilizes large rollers to string the balloon back and forth. As it prepares for launch, teams fill just the tip of the balloon by 1%, allowing it to become unfurled as it raises straight up in the air.
“The SpaceBalloon is a well-tested technology that has been flown by NASA and other governments over 1,000 times so it is inherently safe,” the company stated.
Following this test flight, Space Perspective will analyze the collected data to refine its next human-rated spaceship capsule.
And when that does happen, the company promises it will be an amazing sight for tourists who can afford the $125,000 price tag.
“You will ascend into a night sky full of stars, look down at our planet, and watch the sun rise over its curved horizon, illuminating the thin, bright blue line of our atmosphere. You will be able to see about 450 miles in all directions through the almost 360-degree panoramic windows,” the company stated.
And while you will get to see the curve of Earth, you will not be floating around like an astronaut, as the company explained, “People experience it on orbit because the spacecraft is going at 17,500 mph and is literally falling around the planet – the speed counteracts gravity. Neptune goes to space at 12mph so you will not experience weightlessness.”
Co-founders and CEOs Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum plan to fly on that mission, set for late 2025, with the first customers expected to follow in the late 2025 to early 2026 timeframe.
“This is incredibly exciting. This is when we demonstrate that we take people to the edge of space under a space balloon, validate the technology and, demonstrate the whole operation. The whole crew is very excited, it is amazing teamwork. From the people who built the balloon, to the people who designed and built the capsule, to the ship and the launch system and the ship’s crew. There’s so many teams working together as one big team, it’s incredible,” said MacCallum.
Space Perspective is headquartered in Titusville at the Space Coast Regional Airport where it also has its balloon factory. As for the capsule, the carbon composite manufacturing facility is located in Melbourne which is then shipped to Titusville for the assembly and system integration.
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