Test flights of passenger balloons into space are scheduled for 2021.

The universe and space have always been considered a place that stimulates human curiosity and exploration. Perhaps everyone wishes to one day set foot in outer space, to gaze upon the universe or the Earth where we live. And now, this dream is no longer out of reach thanks to the remarkable development of space technologies.

In mid-June, Space Perspective, a company based in Florida, USA, announced plans to take paying passengers and research equipment to the stratosphere using a pressurized capsule attached to a balloon called Spaceship Neptune. The first test flights are expected to take place early next year – 2021. If the tests are successful, tickets will go on sale in 2024.

"We are working to change the way humans approach space and to conduct the research needed to benefit life on Earth and impact how we treat our planet!" - Space Perspective co-founder and CEO Jane Poynter shared on June 18.

The Spaceship Neptune can accommodate one pilot and eight passengers in its capsule. Inside, the capsule features seating, a bar, a bathroom, and large windows allowing passengers to observe Earth against the dark backdrop of space. The spacecraft will launch from the former Space Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Spaceship Neptune will fly east across the Atlantic Ocean during winter flights and west across the Gulf of Mexico during summer flights, following the wind direction.

Spaceship Neptune will take approximately two hours to reach its maximum altitude of around 30,000 meters, gently lifted by a 200-meter-high hydrogen-filled balloon. Explaining the choice of hydrogen as the lift gas instead of helium, Taber MacCallum, co-founder and CEO of Space Perspective, said it was a logical alternative because helium is becoming increasingly scarce due to its widespread use in medical applications and rocket launches.

The spacecraft will fly for two hours in the stratosphere and take another two hours to descend. Spaceship Neptune will land in the sea and be towed ashore by a recovery vessel, similar to SpaceX's Crew Dragon. Spaceship Neptune will be reusable but will still require a new balloon for each flight. According to MacCallum and Poynter, the initial ticket price for a balloon flight experience is around $125,000 (over 2.9 billion VND). Space Perspective's goal is to conduct 500 flights annually by the end of this decade, launching from the former Space Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, USA.

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