Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Sir Richard Branson is set to embark on another space journey, this time as a co-pilot on the world’s first commercial stratospheric balloon flight, scheduled for 2025. Branson previously reached space in 2021 aboard a Virgin Galactic spacecraft.
Credit : Space Perspective
The balloon will lift a pressurized capsule carrying Branson and two other co-pilots, Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum, 20 miles above the Earth’s surface. The flight will mark a new milestone in space tourism, offering a unique way to reach the stratosphere.
Credit : Space Perspective
The flight, organized by Space Perspective, will be their first commercial trip. Although the exact launch date has not been set, the company has successfully conducted uncrewed test flights, demonstrating the balloon’s capability to reach high altitudes.
Credit : Space Perspective
The space balloon, filled with hydrogen, will lift the capsule at a speed of about 12 miles per hour, reaching an altitude of 20 miles. At this height, passengers will float above the atmosphere, a level never before reached by a commercial balloon flight.
Credit : Space Perspective
The capsule, named Spaceship Neptune, will seat eight passengers. The experience, priced at $125,000 per person, includes food, drinks, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a view of Earth’s atmosphere from the edge of space.
Credit : Space Perspective
The trip will last six hours, with two hours spent at maximum altitude, allowing passengers to witness the blackness of space and the Earth’s thin blue atmosphere. The other four hours are for the capsule’s ascent and descent.
Credit : Space Perspective
Branson is no stranger to ballooning adventures. He holds world records for crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by balloon in the late 1980s and early 1990s, making this new expedition a fitting continuation of his aerial pursuits.
Space Perspective has already received more than 1,800 reservations for upcoming flights. Branson’s involvement as an investor aims to accelerate the company’s development and future test flight programs.
Credit : Space Perspective