Have you always wanted to travel to the edge of space but don't trust the explosive rocket technology? This news is for you (and Wernher Von Braun doesn't like it).
A new startup called Space Perspective wants to take your money (many) and send you among the stars in a big balloon.
Designed to be an alternative to the nascent rocket-based space tourism industry, the company's “Spaceship Neptune” capsules will be occupied by paying customers and lifted to a height of approximately 30.000 meters.
According to Space Perspective, space travel (well, technically on the edge of space), it will be relatively short. They will spend two hours ascending to their intended altitude and another two hours returning to Earth. Between ascent and descent travelers will enjoy truly breathtaking views of their home planet.
When the journey is over, the capsule will stop in the Atlantic Ocean and passengers will be picked up by a ship and brought back to land. It all seems a little strange but hey… there really are no rules when it comes to space tourism, right? At least not yet.
Traveling costs. In space more
Only $125.000 per person, come on. I want to ruin myself. Okay, I admit, it's not cheap, but it will be a one-of-a-kind experience and without being "shot" by anything.
Space Perspective is hardly the only company vying for a slice of the space tourism pie. Blue Origin and SpaceX, among others, have already announced plans to send paying customers into space for short trips that will cost a lot of money. In some cases, tickets have already been sold for flights that may not take place for several years, if they happen at all.
It is probably obvious, but the space tourism will satisfy the super rich, at least for now.
Sending things into space is expensive, and getting a sizable return on the initial investment of rockets (or space balloons) means charging very high prices.
