The company Space Perspective, which is developing a system of stratospheric passenger balloons for “cheap” space tourism, has attracted an additional USD 17 million for further development. The company announced that it has raised funding from several new investors, including Silicon Valley Bank, Trinity Capital and Henry Kravis, co-founder of the investment company KKR and Co. To date, Space Perspective has raised more than USD 65 million.
Start of flights in a few years
Space Perspective is currently developing the Spaceship Neptune, a stratostat that will lift a capsule with eight passengers to a height of about 30 km to simulate space flight. The capsule will remain in the air for several hours, providing passengers with a fantastic view of the Earth, similar to what can be seen from space. The flights will be operated under a license that the company will receive from the Office of Commercial Space Transport of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Space Perspective raised USD 40 million in October 2021, which, according to executives, will allow the company to be fully funded before the start of commercial activity. In a statement, Space Perspective says that the additional funding will accelerate the company’s further growth (up to 240 employees by 2026). The start of commercial activity is scheduled for the end of 2024.
Ticket Prices
The company sells seats for 125 thousand dollars. Tickets for the first year have already been sold out, but their number has not yet been disclosed.
Space Perspective competes with World View Enterprises, which will also start its flights from 2024 at a price of 50 thousand dollars per ticket. In the spring, the company announced that it had booked the first 1,000 seats, each of which requires a USD 500 deposit.
Earlier, Virgin Galactic canceled all passenger flights to space in 2022.
According to Space News
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