World's First Space Lounge Unveiled by Space Perspective
The customizable interior of the world's first space lounge has been revealed by luxury spaceflight experience company Space Perspective.
“Our mission is to inspire space explorers to connect more closely with our planet and each other, and the environment in which they travel with us is central to this."
Jane Poynter, Founder, Co-CEO and Chief Experience Officer of Space Perspective.
Spaceship Neptune places safety, the thrilling views and interaction between space explorers front and center in its pioneering design, with sustainable materials embraced throughout – including a bar handcrafted using proprietary materials recycled from the unique SpaceBalloon connected to the capsule. The patented 360-degree panoramic windows will be the largest-ever flown to space. Even the restroom will have a view.
Space Perspective is revolutionizing space tourism with the world's first space lounge - and is a world away from rocket-fueled space endeavors. The elegant ascent in the climate-controlled, pressurized capsule, propelled by a state-of-the-art SpaceBalloon, enables passengers to safely glide for two hours at the edge of space absorbing the phenomenal beauty of Earth and vastness of space. Lift-off takes place at dawn so guests can soak up the sun rising as they climb 100,000 ft (20 mi/30 km). The gradual, two-hour descent to Earth gently concludes with a splash down in the ocean, where a ship retrieves the passengers, the capsule, and the SpaceBalloon. Every aspect of the interior has been designed to enhance the transformative views while elegantly ascending at a cruise speed of 12mph.
“Our mission is to inspire space explorers to connect more closely with our planet and each other, and the environment in which they travel with us is central to this. Our Space Lounge is a world away from the white, utilitarian environments you find in other spacecraft,” explains Jane Poynter, Founder, Co-CEO and Chief Experience Officer of Space Perspective.
Space Perspective has also announced that hospitality and entertainment entrepreneur David Grutman is joining the company as Experience Curator – to advise on the end-to-end experience for the Space Explorer – from arrival at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to in-flight and post-landing.
“I am beyond excited about advising Space Perspective on the Space Lounge experience - we really want to make this transformative," Grutman said. The world class team at Space Perspective is on a mission to change people’s perception of what adventure travel can be. We have so many ideas on how we can customize the journey – from birthday celebrations, and corporate getaways, to creating seminal moments that will capture the imaginations of all.”
With a near 360-degree panoramic view which appears utterly seamless to the human eye and capsule layout established, the design team went to work on the detailed interior design, creating the elegant, safe and comfortable Space Lounge. As David Grutman knows well, every detail of a curated experience is important. Along with renders Space Perspective is releasing an interactive video walk-through showing details of the Space Lounge, right down to the bespoke Neptune drink glasses and a specially created dessert.
The capsule also features:
Arced, deep, reclining seats, which maximize the ability for Space Explorers to enjoy both the vista and each other, can be reconfigured to accommodate a more intimate dinner for two or special event
Lightweight, dark and tactile sustainable materials throughout its interior to reduce glare and reflection
Food and beverage service capabilities, including a bar top handcrafted using pellets formed by re-purposing the pioneering recyclable material from Space Perspective’s SpaceBalloons
The center of the capsule is kept free to ensure group photography (WiFi is also available in-flight) can easily be accommodated. Stretching out and walking around is also straightforward
Customizable mood lighting including low red LED lights ensure Space Explorers will absorb the dramatic sights of witnessing dawn, planet Earth, and stars above in space – while easily navigating their way around the Space Lounge
A telescope and interactive screens – including an overhead ‘donut’ scrolling display to share key information as the journey unfolds
Tasteful decorations including floor lamps, plants and herbs such as lavender, basil and rosemary which are used in food and drink prep. The plants remind us of the interconnected nature of our planet
A luxurious restroom featuring huge windows too so Space Explorers never miss the incredible views
Commercial flights aboard the world's first space lounge are targeted to begin in late 2024, with 600 tickets sold to date. With the first year of seats completely reserved, Space Perspective is currently taking reservations for 2025 and beyond. Tickets are priced at $125,000 per person, and bookings are made with a fully refundable deposit beginning at $1,000 (customers can also book and pay online via crypto - a first in the commercial space flight industry). Entire capsules are also available for reservations (up to eight guests and a pilot). Space Perspective’s human spaceflight launches are regulated by the FAA Office of Commercial Spaceflight.
(Image provided with Space Perspectives news release)