Florida startup plans to run balloon rides to the edge of space
A Florida-based startup wants to run balloon rides from the Earth's surface right up to the edge of Space.
Space Perspective plans to use an advanced balloon called the Spaceship Neptune to fly customers to the highest reaches of the planet's atmosphere, from Alaska.
The company plans to use The Pacific Spaceport Complex in the US state's city of Kodiak to serve as one of the launch sites for the balloon.
The rides will be manned by a flight crew taking eight passengers in a pressurised capsule suspended beneath a hydrogen balloon the size of a football stadium
Each passenger could pay an estimated 125,000 US dollars (£100,000) for a six-hour journey.
Mark Lester, CEO of Alaska Aerospace, said the high-altitude rides will be available from Kodiak in a few years and will support Alaska tourism.
"You will have people from around the world who want to come to Alaska and see the northern lights from the edge of space," Mr Lester said.
Alaska Aerospace and Space Perspective will test and refine spaceport operations and secure spaceflight licences from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Space Perspective plans to complete an unmanned test flight from the Shuttle Landing Facility at Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida next year.
Passengers will begin with a two-hour ascent to about 19 miles above the Earth. They will then be able to post on social media about the experience or send data.
"Neptune then makes a two-hour descent under the balloon and splashes down, where a ship retrieves the passengers," along with the capsule and balloon, Alaska Aerospace said.
Capsule recovery would occur in the waters around Kodiak Island and the Aleutian Island chain, depending upon the seasonal wind patterns.
The balloon design is derived from technology Nasa has used for decades to fly large research telescopes, Space Perspective said.
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