capsule suspended beneath a hydrogen balloon
the size of a football stadium.
Each passenger could pay an estimated
$125,000 for a six-hour journey.
Mark Lester, CEO of Alaska Aerospace Corp.,
said the high-altitude rides will be available
from Kodiak in a few years and will support
Alaska tourism.
“You will have people from around the
world who want to come to Alaska and see
the northern lights from the edge of space,”
Lester said.
Alaska Aerospace and Space Perspective will
test and refine spaceport operations and
secure spaceflight licenses from the Federal
Aviation Administration.
Space Perspective plans to complete an
unmanned test flight from the Shuttle Landing
Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in
Florida next year.
Passengers will begin with a two-hour ascent to
about 19 miles (31 kilometers) above Earth. They
will then be able to post on social media about
the experience or send data.
“Neptune then makes a two-hour descent under
the balloon and splashes down, where a ship
retrieves the passengers,” along with the capsule
and balloon, Alaska Aerospace said.
Capsule recovery would occur in the waters
around Kodiak Island and the Aleutian
Island chain, depending upon the seasonal
wind patterns.
The balloon design is derived from technology
NASA has used for decades to fly large research
telescopes, Space Perspective said.