Before 2024, the only way to go to space was by rocket, but that is about to change. Offering a new development in balloon exploration, Space Perspective, a company based in Titusville Florida, will soon be taking people up to 100,000 feet in a luxurious capsule lifted by a balloon. For each flight, eight passengers plus a pilot, will board the Space Perspective Spaceship Neptune Capsule for a six-hour voyage to the edge of space.
The company calls this mission “the safest, most accessible, and first carbon-neutral human spaceflight experience.”
Space Balloon to be Massive
The Space Perspective “SpaceBalloon,” filled with hydrogen, will lift the capsule at 12 miles per hour. The balloon itself is not a new technology but uses a proven design similar to what NASA has used more than 1000 times carrying payloads heavier than the Spaceship Neptune Capsule.
| IMAGE: Space Perspective on Facebook
In August of 2023, Space Perspective opened its Seely SpaceBalloon manufacturing facility in Titusville, Florida. The facility is a 700-foot-long tent that contains a pair of tables 600-feet long. Employees with training in engineering and mechanical skills will assemble the balloons that will measure 18,000,000 cubic feet in volume and 700 feet tall when filled. According to Space Perspective, “If a football stadium could fly, it would be able to float around inside a fully inflated SpaceBalloon™.”
Space Perspective Spaceship Neptune Capsule
| IMAGE: space p[ers[ective on facebook
The Spaceship Neptune Capsule is a completely original design, with new technology and materials. Its diameter is 16 feet, and its pressurized volume is more than 200 cubic feet. The inside of the capsule, which the company calls the “Space Lounge,” is nothing less than plush, with seats comparable to the most exclusive first-class section on any aircraft. The large windows on all sides will allow each passenger clear, wide views. The capsule will also have a fully stocked bar and food service, wifi to allow guests to livestream the experience, and even a bathroom called the “Space Spa” with its own windows. None of this comes cheap, as the cost of the Space Perspective experience is $125,000.
Six Hours to Space and Back
The balloon experience will last about six hours. It will lift off from either land or water, take approximately two hours to reach its apogee of 100,000 feet, then float at that altitude for two hours, and then descend. The adventure will not end when the Spaceship Neptune Capsule returns to earth.
It will land in the ocean, and meet up with the Space Perspective ship, the 294-foot Marine Spaceport Voyager. The company plans to have a fleet of these ships as it expands operations to several other bases around the world including Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
image: space perspective on facebook
As the capsule nears the water, an inflatable cone at its base will deploy, ensuring a gentle landing. Small boats from the Marine Spaceport Voyager will reach the capsule within five minutes to ready it to be lifted onto the larger ship’s deck. Space Perspective expects it take 20 minutes from splashdown to when the passengers disembark onto the deck.
Engineering Challenges and Partners For Space Perspective
image: space perspective on facebook
Engineers faced many challenges in developing the Spaceship Neptune Capsule For example, temperature control is a major factor when going up 100,000 feet. The side of the capsule facing the sun will reach temperatures as high as 91 degrees Fahrenheit, while on the opposite side the temperature will be as low as 26 degrees Fahrenheit at the same time. The windows are also very large, much bigger than those on other spacecraft or aircraft.
To deal with some of these challenges, Space Perspective partnered with Llamas Plastics Inc. to develop the windows. These windows, which are five feet tall, have be clear, but also safe and strong enough to handle the pressure inside the capsule.
image: space perspective on facebook
Llamas Plastics Develops Process for Capsule Window Protection and Visibility
According to Coating Engineer Micah Llamas, their company applies “thin film coatings in a vacuum setting” using a process that involves placing the windows and a metal into a vacuum chamber, lowering the pressure, and igniting the metal.
This vaporizes the metal, which then adheres to the windows while staying transparent. The goal of this was to create windows that reflect ultraviolet rays, control the temperature inside, and maintain visibility.
Space Perspective also partnered with Siemens Digital Industries Software and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to design analysis software. This will simulate all aspects of the Spaceship Neptune Capsule flights, reducing the time to analyze structural, thermal, and other conditions from a week to about ten hours.
Space Perspective has also engaged in a partnership with Epsilon 3, a company with an operations and procedures software platform that allows it to synchronize business processes such as mission-control and marine operations.
A common question about the SpaceBalloon is what would happen if it developed a leak or some other major failure. Space Perspective has designed the capsule to have what it calls a “Reserve Decent System” which is a parachute system like that used in various spacecraft. This is not the only safety element. The company has also partnered with Operator Solutions, a business with search and rescue specialists, doctors, human space flight experts, and fixed and rotary-wing aircrews to provide rescue services.
Space Perspective Attracting Sponsorship and Marketing Partners
Space Perspective has also attracted other companies interested in working together on marketing opportunities. One is a relationship with Mercedes-Maybach. They will use their electric vehicles to carry passengers to and from the capsule, supporting Space Perspective’s goal to remain carbon neutral.
Another business interested in the Spaceship Neptune Capsule is Oreo U.S. In 2023, they produced a limited-edition cookie they called the “Space-Dunk” and created a sweepstakes. The winner will receive a ride aboard the capsule. Considering the cost of a ticket is $125,000, this is a sweet deal indeed.
image: space perspective on facebook
This price has not deterred people from booking seats aboard the capsule. So far, more than 1600 people have paid deposits for upcoming trips, which Space Perspective says will begin in 2025, once testing is complete and they receive full approval from the FAA.
They also hope to expand the basic flights to include events like music shows, meetings, and even weddings. They will also offer packages like overnight missions and trips with different takeoff and landing sites.
