Spaceship Neptune Is the Low-Tech, Cheaper Way to Reach the Edge of Space

If I remember correctly, none of the books I’ve read said anything about using balloons to reach space. Sure, we’ve had Jules Verne and his weird idea of using a massive cannon to shoot a projectile (with humans in it) at the Moon, and we now have, in real life, spaceplanes launched from the underbelly of lesser planes, and rockets that can land themselves. But no space-going balloons with tourists on board. At least, not yet.

For a while now, there’s been increased chatter about a company doing exactly that. It’s called Space Perspective, it has been around in this form for just three years or so, but plans to make big bucks from exploiting everyone’s desire to reach space (or a point close to it) one way or another.

Their idea is to use a balloon. It’s not a new idea, because even if it may not be as popular in literature, people have tried it before in real life.

In 2014, for instance, former Google VP of engineering, Alan Eustace, managed to beat Felix Baumgartner’s record for a jump from the stratosphere. He launched himself at the ground from an altitude of 41.419 km (25.736 miles), after being taken there by a gas balloon (video at the end of the text).

Many of the people who made that record possible are now involved with Space Perspective, and what they’re all dreaming of is called Spaceship Neptune.

That would be in essence a capsule, the balloon itself, called SpaceBalloon, and a reserve descent system. No rockets are used, no fancy equipment, no dangerous fuel, making for one of the purest travel experiences humans can dream of.

Given how this thing is supposed to fly at a maximum altitude of 100,000 feet (30 km, well under the Karman line and technically not in space), the capsule must be however much more than a simple balloon basket.

It’s a pressurized environment, capable of seating eight passengers and the pilot. The thing is wrapped in 360-degrees panoramic windows for maximum effect, and even comes with a refreshment bar, a lavatory, and wi-fi connection for live streaming.

Why all that? Because unlike the expensive, minutes-long experiences offered by Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, a trip of this thing at maximum altitude will last no less than two hours. That means people will get thirsty, will have needs, and most importantly, will get creative.

The capsule rides underneath a balloon the size of a football stadium, the same kind already in use for flying scientific missions by the likes of NASA. As for the reserve descent system, that would be a backup parachute, partially pre-opened, that can kick in to take over, if need be, the duties of the primary.

The experience of flying the Spaceship Neptune requires a reservation first. That will have customers pay a $1,000 refundable deposit, and then, by the time the flight is scheduled, the difference to the full ticket price, which is $125,000 – for reference, that’s half of what Virgin Galactic is asking for about ten minutes of spaceflight, but then again Virgin is throwing in some zero-G experience.

The balloons will take off from the Kennedy Space Center, head to maximum altitude, spend two hours there, then come back down for a splashdown, with a ship waiting to retrieve the tourists. In all, a trip should last up to six hours.

It’s unclear exactly when we’ll have the first crewed flight. Space Perspective conducted the first dry mission, Neptune One, in 2021, when it flew the entire hardware to the target altitude. The flight crossed over Florida and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, meeting all of the flight's objectives in the process.

At the time of writing, the company behind this idea says the first 30 flights are sold out, and there’s limited availability on flights 31 to 100, with over 500 seats already booked. Chances are though none of the people who did that will be going anywhere before 2025.