That strange sight was the second test flight of the Spaceship Neptune-Excelsior, a test capsule designed and built by U.S. startup Space Perspective. For the price of a $125,000 ticket, the company will ferry as many as eight passengers at a time around the atmosphere in luxurious, panoramic digs for six hours. It seeks to launch commercial flights in 2026 and begin crewed test flights next year.

Space Perspective refers to Neptune as a spaceship, which is a bit of a misnomer. Reaching an altitude of about 100,000 feet, the vehicle falls well short of the Kármán line—used by international groups to define the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space—at about 50 to 60 miles altitude. Blue Origin, for example, takes customers beyond that boundary with its space tourism offering, while Virgin Galactic reaches an apogee of about 55 miles.

But according to Space Perspective, Neptune goes high enough for U.S. regulators to consider it a spacecraft. Passengers will be able to see the Earth’s curvature and experience the overview effect, a feeling of awe reported by many astronauts who have seen Earth from space, it says.

“I’m so proud of our devoted team who has worked relentlessly to execute this mission, drawing from their deep expertise and designing solutions for never-been-seen technologies,” said Taber MacCallum, founder and chief technology officer of Space Perspective. “This uncrewed flight not only proves our pioneering technology but also brings us a giant leap closer to making space accessible for everyone and reaffirms our belief in the transformative power of space travel.”

Up, Up, and Away

Space Perspective will offer an approximately six-hour journey to the stratosphere, hovering at about 100,000 feet for two hours.

Spaceship Neptune comprises the capsule, SpaceBalloon launch mechanism, and reserve descent system, all of which are patented, the company says. Flights will be regulated under FAR Part 460 for human space flight requirements and adhere to NASA and U.S. Coast Guard guidelines. The SpaceBalloon will lift off from the company’s marine spaceport, Voyager, and splash down in the ocean. A cone mechanism will cushion the impact and serve as an anchor.

The pressurized, spherical capsule has about 2,000 cubic feet of space, enough for eight passengers plus a captain. Its lounge area is decked out with luxurious seats, foliage, and massive 360-degree windows. According to Space Perspective, its “spa-like” restroom is more lavish than what you’d find in a first-class airplane cabin.

The company’s SpaceBalloon uses hydrogen and ascends at roughly 12 mph, eliminating the g-forces experienced by astronauts. When fully inflated, it stands nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower and could fit an entire football stadium. According to Space Perspective, the balloon cannot pop. But in the case of a contingency, an emergency system comprising four parachutes would deploy automatically.

Just about every component of Neptune—from satellite and ground communications systems to thermal controls to sensors and antennae—was designed and built in-house.

During their flight, customers will be treated to an array of amenities including food, a fully stocked bar with cocktail service, and high-speed Wi-Fi capable of connecting with friends and family on Earth. Interior and exterior cameras will capture photo and video of the experience.

Critically, no training is required. After placing a refundable $1,000 deposit, Space Perspective will walk the customer through the journey, provide regular updates, and help book travel to mission control at Space Coast Regional Airport (KTIX). The company claims it has sold more than 1,800 seats.

Space Perspective is calling Sunday’s test flight a wet dress rehearsal. Neptune completed the company’s nominal six-hour mission profile, launching from Voyager, ascending to apogee, and performing a controlled descent and splashdown.

At its peak, the company says, the capsule maintained cabin pressure and stability, with thermal management systems adjusting temperature based on outside fluctuations. Data from the flight will be used to refine its digital twin system developed in partnership with Siemens, which can recreate the mission profile virtually for additional testing. Space Perspective hopes the data will pave the way for crewed missions, which in December it said it was targeting by the end of 2024.

Sunday’s flight builds on the company’s previous test in 2021, when the balloon launched with a capsule simulator from Space Coast Air and Spaceport. Initial commercial flights will also launch from the Space Coast, though the firm is looking to add service in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. It has so far raised $100 million from investors in support of those efforts.

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The post ‘SpaceBalloon’ Lifts Off in Stratospheric Test Flight appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Initially scheduled for early 2023, the flight, called Boeing Crewed Flight Test-1 (CFT-1), has since been delayed multiple times. The most recent setback occurred before a planned launch on Monday, which was called off just two hours before takeoff due to a valve issue on the upper stage of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle that will send Starliner into orbit. ULA is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

ULA crews identified the issue after noticing a buzzing noise created by an oscillating pressure regulation valve located on a liquid oxygen tank on the Atlas V’s upper stage. Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely exited the spacecraft, which was parked at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Teams were quickly able to repair the oscillating valve. But according to NASA, the issue resurfaced twice during fuel removal. After evaluating the valve and completing a thorough review on Tuesday, ULA decided to remove and replace it.

As a result, NASA announced that the next launch attempt will take place no earlier than 6:16 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 17.

ULA on Wednesday rolled Atlas V and Starliner, still stacked together, back to NASA’s Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41. There, teams are working to replace the faulty part and perform leak checks and functional checkouts before the next launch attempt.

The Starliner program has contended with nearly a decade of delays since Boeing first announced it in 2011, including an uncrewed orbital test flight that failed to reach the ISS as planned.

CFT-1 is expected to be the spacecraft’s final flight before being deployed for NASA’s Commercial Crew program, which rotates astronaut crews at the orbital laboratory.

All eight Commercial Crew rotation missions to date have been flown using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, an alternative to Starliner also under contract with NASA. Boeing and NASA’s contract includes a total of six service missions using Starliner.

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The Artemis program, set to take humans back to the lunar surface, successfully completed its first major mission by testing Orion—NASA’s newest human-rated spacecraft.

According to NASA, the Artemis I flight test broke several records, which included launching the world’s most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS).

Over Orion’s nearly 26-day journey, the spacecraft performed two lunar flybys within 80 miles of the moon’s surface and traveled nearly 270,000 miles away from Earth—the farthest any human-rated spacecraft has flown. In total, Orion traveled more than 1.4 million miles during its trip.

• READ MORE: Artemis I, the Rocket That Could

“With Orion safely returned to Earth we can begin to see our next mission on the horizon which will fly crew to the Moon for the first time as a part of the next era of exploration,” said Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “This begins our path to a regular cadence of missions and a sustained human presence at the Moon for scientific discovery and to prepare for human missions to Mars.”

Onboard the spacecraft sat Commander Moonikin Campos, a sensor-laiden mannequin, biology experiments, and a Snoopy doll, to measure the various conditions future astronauts may face on later missions to the moon and Mars.

Astronauts will be onboard the next mission, Artemis II, currently scheduled for May 2024. However, Artemis astronauts will not touch down on the lunar surface until Artemis III the following year.

Orion’s splashdown also marked a special anniversary for the agency.

“The splashdown of the Orion spacecraft—which occurred 50 years to the day of the Apollo 17 Moon landing—is the crowning achievement of Artemis I. From the launch of the world’s most powerful rocket to the exceptional journey around the Moon and back to Earth, this flight test is a major step forward in the Artemis Generation of lunar exploration,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. 

“It wouldn’t be possible without the incredible NASA team. For years, thousands of individuals have poured themselves into this mission, which is inspiring the world to work together to reach untouched cosmic shores,” Nelson said. “Today is a huge win for NASA, the United States, our international partners, and all of humanity.”

• READ MORE: Liftoff: NASA’s Artemis I Launches Into Space, History

Splashdown.

After traveling 1.4 million miles through space, orbiting the Moon, and collecting data that will prepare us to send astronauts on future #Artemis missions, the @NASA_Orion spacecraft is home. pic.twitter.com/ORxCtGa9v7

— NASA (@NASA) December 11, 2022

According to NASA, Orion approached Earth’s atmosphere at almost 25,000 miles per hour—nearly 32 times the speed of sound. The spacecraft was also the first to complete a skip maneuver, where the spacecraft dipped into Earth’s atmosphere to reduce its speed, then reentered to make its final approach.

“Orion has returned from the Moon and is safely back on planet Earth,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager. “With splashdown we have successfully operated Orion in the deep space environment, where it exceeded our expectations, and demonstrated that Orion can withstand the extreme conditions of returning through Earth’s atmosphere from lunar velocities.”

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