In a giant leap for luxury space travel, affluent “explorers” will soon be able to board a space capsule called Spaceship Neptune, which ascends via a balloon 100,000 feet to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Once they arrive at their destination, the passengers can take in the spectacular views in a high-tech space lounge, enjoying a fine dinner and cocktails.
The trip will be provided by Space Perspective, which describes itself as “Planet Earth’s leading luxury space travel company,” in conjunction with technology partners Siemens and AWS. Siemens offered an immersive demo of the voyage last week at CES 2023 in Las Vegas.
The price tag is as sky-high as the journey — $125,000 for the 6-hour trip from Earth and back. But that hasn’t stopped space enthusiasts from gobbling up tickets. Journeys on the Spaceship Neptune are sold out until 2024, but the company is taking reservations for 2025 and beyond with a $1000 deposit.
View from the Spaceship Neptune capsule, which offers passengers killer views of Earth while they chill out in the space lounge enjoying dinner and a cocktail. A space balloon takes you 100,000 feet up (and hopefully down). Price tag: $125k for 6 hour trip. #CES2023 pic.twitter.com/TxWh6RnSQL
— Jonathan Small (@kidfinesse) January 9, 2023
Net Zero Travel
Spaceship Neptune offers a carbon-free trip to space. Unlike rocket-fueled space endeavors, which spew chemicals into the atmosphere, Spaceship Neptune ascends to the edge of space in a climate-controlled, pressurized capsule propelled by a patented SpaceBalloon. Voyagers can take in the beautiful views of the thin blue line circling the earth below and the vast dark space above.
“Changing people’s perspective on our planet demands that we are good stewards of the planet,” Space Perspective founder and Co-CEO Jayne Poynter told Entrepreneur. “As the world’s only carbon-neutral space travel company Space Perspective has completely re-engineered space travel, forgoing high carbon footprint rockets in favor of our sustainable SpaceBalloon.”
Spaceship Neptune is large enough to accommodate eight passengers per trip. Once they coast 18 miles above the earth, they’ll be free to roam around, take photos, and feast off a five-star menu.
“We have integrated the travel experience and aesthetic – from headroom and groups of Explorers being able to move around comfortably within Spaceship Neptune from chair to restroom to bar – to, of course, maximizing the once-in-a-lifetime views,” said Dan Window, Experience Design Lead, and Isabella Trani, Experience Designer, in a statement.
When it’s time to return to Earth, passengers will splash down gently into the ocean, where a Space Perspective crew will greet them.
NASA considers water landings the most low-risk way of returning a capsule from space.
That’s reassuring.