Sir Richard Branson is going to space…again. The Virgin Galactic founder is set to co-pilot the inaugural crewed flight for Space Perspective, the world’s first stratospheric balloon flight experience company. Branson, who famously completed a series of record-breaking balloon journeys in the late 1980s, brings extensive experience to the burgeoning tourism organisation.
Branson’s announcement as co-pilot comes just weeks after Space Perspective successfully launched its first uncrewed test flight. That journey followed the same flight trajectory and altitude as the proposed future commercial flights, demonstrating the organisation’s pressurised capsule technology. According to Space Perspective, the balloon uses hydrogen power to gently fly eight passengers to 20 miles, floating at levels above the atmosphere never before achieved in a commercial balloon flight. The landmark mission is expected sometime in 2025.
“Some of the most magnificent experiences of my life have happened on ballooning expeditions and I’m excited to support Space Perspective in its journey,” Branson said. “I’m passionate about adventure and helping fellow entrepreneurs reach their business dreams. I look forward to dusting off my old ballooning license ahead of some magnificent test flights.”
While there are obvious similarities, the Space Perspective journey will introduce a vastly different experience to that offered by Branson’s other business, Virgin Galactic. Much more journey-based than destination-oriented, Space Perspective flights will last roughly six hours in duration, approaching their maximum height at a leisurely pace. The relaxed nature allows travellers to take in the sights and enjoy a never-before-admired vista, before slowly returning to earth.
According to the organisation’s official website, the spacecraft’s maximum altitude of around 20 miles (32km) is significantly lower than the 50-mile (80km) boundary of space that Branson visited in July 2021 aboard his Virgin Galactic shuttle. That historic journey provided a rare opportunity to reach the suborbital plain, with the entire voyage lasting just over an hour.
Branson, who is also an investor in the Florida-based company, will be joined on the upcoming crewed flight by Space Perspective co-founders Taber MacCollum and Jane Poynter, who will also serve as co-pilots.
“Richard’s pioneering efforts in the ballooning industry were a key inspiration for us when we founded Space Perspective,” Poynter said. “We are now on a mission to give Explorers breathtaking views of the Earth against a black sky, and do so gently in a way that only balloons enable.”
The first crewed Space Perspective flight is set to take place sometime in 2025, with planning for commercial voyages to begin upon successful completion. According to reports, more than 1,800 people have already reserved a seat aboard the balloon, with spots starting from a whopping USD$125,000 (AUD$186,000). While that might sound like a monumental price to pay, it pales in comparison to the USD$450,000 (AUD$670,000) that Virgin Galactic charges for its suborbital sojourn.
Oh, to be a billionaire invested in the space race.