Balloon flight to space possible from 2024

An American startup is literally taking balloon flight to the next level. This week, Space Perspective presented the design of the spacelounge Neptune: a large capsule that can take its passengers to a height of 30 kilometers thanks to a huge balloon. Text: Fleur de Jong
Image: Space PerspectiveLast summer, as a space tourist you could already make a reservation for a place on board Neptune and Space Perspective even made it possible to make a down payment with crypto. This week, the American startup finally revealed photos of the interior. The photos make it clear that you can enjoy a cocktail even at great heights. The Neptune is equipped with a bar, comfortable chairs, mood lighting, panoramic windows and even WiFi. So you will not lack anything.

A nice bonus is that the Space Perspective experience is designed to reduce its impact on the environment. Instead of large rocket engines, the Neptune use of the balloon's buoyancy. During the descent, just enough gas is released to maintain a comfortable descent speed. This way, a trip to space is almost emission-free.De Netptune however, doesn't really take tourists to space. The Kárman line is the boundary that separates the Earth from space and is located at a height of 100 kilometers above the Earth, the spaceship goes up to 30 kilometers high. According to Space Perspective, this is sufficient to see the curvature of the Earth. Passengers will also not experience weightlessness during the flight. The Neptune takes off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flight will last six hours in total. 

To enjoy the view of Earth for six hours, you will still need some patience; Space Perspective expects to start commercial flights at the end of 2024. You have to pay around €115.000 for a ticket.

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