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Thursday, April 14th, 2022

Space balloon company offers first look at luxury cabins

Author:    
Source:     Agence France-Presse
Publication Date:     12 April 2022
 Link: Space balloon company offers first look at luxury cabins
Stephan:   As I have written about the obscene wealth inequality in the United States what has struck me, again and again, is that this wealth differential is so great that most Americans can not even conceive of it. If you make $35,000 a year, how do you even conceptualize buying a $150 million yacht? But this story which I discovered yesterday really brought it home to me. A whole new industry has sprung up for the uber-rich, taking a tourist trip to space. You've saved up so you can take your family to the Grand Canyon. The uber-rich, the oligarchs, are paying $55 million to go to the space station for a few days? Too rich for you? Well, how about $125,000 for a few hours in a space balloon? There's even a bar.
This image rendering handout courtesy of Space Perspective released April 7, 2022 shows the exterior of the spaceship Neptune capsule floating above Florida – Space Perspective/AFP

 A new entrant in the space tourism market promises customers views of the Earth’s curvature from the comfort of a luxury cabin, lifted to the upper atmosphere with a giant balloon.ADVERTISING

Space Perspective on Tuesday revealed illustrations of its swish cabins, which it hopes to start launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida from late 2024. More than 600 tickets have so far been sold, at $125,000 each.

With five-feet (1.5 meter) high windows, deep seats, dark, purple tones and subdued lighting, the atmosphere contrasts with the white and sanitized capsules of its competitors.

Wifi connectivity and a drinks bar round out the “Space Lounge” inside the company’s Neptune capsule.

Whether it really constitutes spaceflight is a matter of debate.

The balloon reaches an altitude of 20 miles (30 kilometers), much lower than rivals Virgin Galactic, which goes just over 50 miles high, or Blue Origin, which breaches the Karman Line, 62 miles above sea level, […]

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