WANT TO TRAVEL IN A SPACE BALLOON THAT TAKES YOU TO THE EDGE OF SPACE?
THE FIRST TEST FLIGHT IS PLANNED TO TAKE PLACE EARLY NEXT YEAR
If you have always wanted to travel in a giant space balloon that takes you to the edge of the space, then your wish is about to come true. Space Perspective is planning to do just that with the help of a giant balloon that will be developed by The Cape Canaveral, a Florida-based company.
The unique space balloon is named as Spaceship Neptune, and it will be capable of carrying up to eight passengers and a pilot into the atmosphere. It would be a pressurized capsule that will go into the stratosphere for real as early as 2021.
Another unique thing about the space balloon is that it will be as big as a football stadium and will launch from the existing Shuttle Landing Facility that is located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre. The space balloon would go about 100,000 feet or 19 miles above the surface of the earth. This entire journey will be of six hours. The first two will be needed to reach the stratosphere, the next two would let passengers admire the views, and the last two would be required to descent back to earth.
A descent would be made possible by releasing gas from the space balloon so that it can land on the ocean, where a ship will pick the balloon and the passengers up. The space balloon would be loaded with amenities like a bathroom and even a refreshment bar.
The space balloon will be used to carry research payloads into the stratosphere as well. The first un-crewed test flight would do that when it takes place next year.
The founder and Co-CEO of the company Taber MacCallum said, “Following the return of human spaceflight from US soil just a few weeks ago, people have never been more excited about space travel. Few endeavours are more meaningful than enabling people to experience the inspiring perspective of our home planet in space for the betterment of all, and that’s what we are accomplishing with Space Perspective.”
A trip in the space balloon would cost approximately USD 125, 000 (about AUD 181,525). It is the second good news for super-rich people who want to explore the space. The first one came when it was announced that SpaceX and Axiom had made a deal to fly space tourists to International Space Station in late 2021.
