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Commercial space flight is becoming more and more common, with companies including SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic all transporting paid customers into space over the last several years.
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 16 Jul 2024
Commercial space flight is becoming more and more common, with companies including SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic all transporting paid customers into space over the last several years.
People interested in seeing the earth from an unusual vantage point may soon have another option. CNBC spoke to three startups — France-based Zephalto, Florida-based Space Perspective and Arizona-based World View — that aim to hoist tourists to the stratosphere using pressurized capsules and massive gas-filled balloons.
“The capsule itself is designed to to carry eight customers and two crew into the stratosphere,” said Ryan Hartman, CEO of World View. “There will be a center bar where people can gather, and then, of course, there will be a bathroom aboard the capsule.”
The balloon rides will last around 6 hours, but will not take passengers all the way to space. Most will reach heights of 15 to 19 miles above the earth’s surface, flying in an area known as the stratosphere. The start of space is generally accepted by the U.S. government to be around 80 kilometers, or about 50 miles, above the earth’s surface.
Jane Poynter, founder and co-CEO of Space Perspective, has a... More from CNBC
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