Take a look at “the world’s only carbon-neutral spacecraft” | Way of life

The space tourism race is on all rockets right now, but one company is hoping to carve out a niche as “the only carbon-neutral, zero-emission way” to travel to the edge of space.

Florida-based Space Perspective plans to take passengers up to 100,000 feet for suborbital adventures in an airtight capsule suspended from a huge, high-tech version of a hot air balloon. New images released on July 27 show the latest patented capsule design for the Neptune spacecraft.

It’s a more spacious interior than previous iterations, with a spherical capsule that gives passengers more headroom, while also providing safety, optimal resistance to pressure. And we can get a better look at the luxurious Space Lounge, with its deep reclining seats, ostentatious lighting and well-stocked bar.

Reflective windows, similar to an astronaut’s helmet, help maintain a comfortable temperature, while a new patent-pending thermal control system.

Space Perspective worked on this fresh design with London-based studio Of My Imagination (OMI). The 360-degree panoramic views, which provide what Space Perspective describes as “the largest ever patented windows that can be translated to the edge of space,” were—in a satisfying example of nominative determinism—designed by Dan Windham, Spaceship Neptune’s head of experiential design. together with experienced designer Isabella Trani.

Other improvements include a patented cone for a smooth and safe landing on the water at sea.

In terms of scale, the company compares the capsule to the size of “a large balcony cabin on a cruise ship,” while the balloon is about 18,000,000 cubic feet when fully deployed — so big that a football stadium could float inside it.

A ticket worth $125,000Space Perspective plans to begin carrying groups of up to eight passengers on six-hour flights by the end of 2024. These projected timelines have changed from an earlier estimate earlier that year.

Since it does not leave Earth’s gravity, no special training will be required and travelers will be able to walk around the capsule environment. The company claims that the boarding process will be as easy as boarding a plane.

The journeys will include a two-hour gentle ascent above 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere. Then there will be another two hours for passengers to enjoy the views from the cockpit before the spacecraft makes its two-hour descent to the ocean. The swim to shore will be completed on the ship.

There will be Wi-Fi on board so travelers can stream their experiences live to people back home, and there will also be cameras on board to document all the action. Satellite imagery and 360-degree cameras will also allow you to zoom in and out of the epic view.

The price tag, surprisingly, is not cheap. Once-in-a-lifetime tickets cost $125,000 per person, but Space Perspective says nearly 900 have already been sold. They are now taking reservations for 2025 and beyond, with the $1,000 deposit fully refundable if that particular space bubble bursts. Customers can also pay with cryptocurrency, which should appeal to risk-averse spenders.

Hydrogen engineSpace Perspective co-founders Jane Poynter and Taber McCallum previously designed the air, power and water systems for the Biosphere 2 space base, where they lived for two years.

The company’s zero-emissions claims are based on the fact that instead of using high-energy rockets to launch into space, its craft defy gravity through buoyancy.

Because helium is in limited supply and needed for important medical applications, the Neptune spacecraft uses hydrogen. “The lifting gas inside the balloon is lighter than air and allows Neptune to float above Earth’s atmosphere like an ice cube on water,” notes Space Perspective.

The entire spacecraft is reusable, except for the material that makes up the balloon’s shell, which will be recovered by the team at the end of each flight and recycled.

“Centuries of balloon and parachute operation and development demonstrate that always flying a balloon from launch to landing with traditional parachutes as a backup system is by far the easiest, safest and most reliable solution,” McCallum said in a statement. Our patented flight system means that the capsule and SpaceBalloon always remain connected and the takeoff and landing conditions are always under our control.”