A Look Inside Space Perspective’s Space Balloon Factory: CEO Interview

Spaceship Neptune of Space perspectiveSpaceship Neptune of Space perspectiveA prototype of spaceship neptune in the manufacturing facility of space perspective. Space perspective

Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos flew into space in spaceships manufactured by their respective companies and flying in space in the headlines billionaire space race. While public interest in space tourism seems to be fruitful, the newborn industry is continuously moving forward. Branson’s Virgin Gellectic (SPCE) and Bezos’ blue origin now fly to both customers to pay regular spaces (although Blue Origin’s Space Tourism Rocket was placed on the ground after six crew flights in 2022). And among the new companies for the party, other types of space travel vehicles are being built.

Titasville, Fla, a few miles from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The company plans to test the mission of its first crew soon as this year.

Established in 2019 by husband and wife Taber McClum and Jane Pointer, Space Perspective Virgin sells an experience from those introduced by Galactic and Blue Origin. Its balloon-powered space capsules named Spaceship Neptune are raised at a speed of about 100,000 feet (19 mi) to 12 mph from the Earth, slowly in the stratosphere. Once in the capsule, there will be perfect windows for a bathroom and visit to sightseeing. The entire ride will last for six hours, including two hovering at the extreme height, where travelers will be able to see the Earth’s curvature and the total blackness of the space. It does not provide adventure to travel at supersonic speed or move around in microgravity, but it comes without inconvenience even without the need for any pre-oblique training on a rocket. The passengers will ride on a ship, called the Marine Spaceport Voyager, and will be published in the Atlantic Ocean on return, where they will be picked up by a recovery ship.

“Our entire career has taken us to this moment.”

The manufacturing facility of the space perspective, unveiled in August 2023, includes a plant where workers assemble an office area for approximately 16-foot tall capsules and engineers to operate flight simulation and meetings. Outside the office building, a 700 -foot tall tent stands where the huge space balloons are being kept together. The tent has a pair of tables up to 600 feet, when the length of the balloon is fully inflated.

On 14 February, a small prototype of the company’s board members and a small group of investors in the perspective of space was detected before the first full prototype of the Neptune, which is a major step towards building the world’s largest human tourism spacecraft (except international space station).

Space perspective balloonSpace perspective balloonInside the tent where a huge space balloons are being collected. Sisi Cao for Supervisor

Poyner and Taber’s professional partnership goes back over three decades. Prior to the establishment of space perspective, the couple had a long -running companies that develop supportive technologies for aerospace and defense industries, such as the environmental control system in spaces and space balloons for missions.

In 2014, a team led by Pointer and Taber did a social media-famous demo called Stratex with computer scientist Alan Eustase. A space balloon picked up the euses up to 136,000 feet (26 mi) in the sky, where he again jumped into a pressure suit and, 4 minutes and 27 seconds, safely, safely landed on the earth with the help of a draw parachute, which breaks the world record of the highest height-free-misconduct.


“You can say that our entire career has taken us to this moment. We have essentially done every aspect of this mission earlier, “Poner told Observer in an interview with his office in Titasville in January.

“During the StrateX mission, we came to know that, if you can control the height very accurately, you can better station a balloon than a satellite,” he said. “It was really evidence that we could use space balloons to fly in space, because we saw how soft it was.”

At the entrance to the manufacturing facility of the space perspective, there is a visitor area that shows artifacts from previous work of pointers and macclam, including the spacesuce worn by Eustace during the 2014 mission. There is a meta quest headset on a side table that offers visitors a virtual tour inside the spaceship neptune while hovering over the Gulf of Mexico.

Space perspective office lobbySpace perspective office lobbySpace perspective office lobbySpacesuit of Alan Eustase on performance at the Florida office of Space Perspective. Sisi Cao for Supervisor

Mercedes cars and a marketing strategy in Oreo cookies

As a co-CEO, the taber takes charge of all technical aspects of the space perspective, while the pointer leads the company’s sales and marketing efforts.

The space perspective has a unique advertising strategy that involves involving the forces with brands that are otherwise very low in general. The company has a partnership with Mercedes-Meback, under which Spaceship Neptune created a cameo in the new Mercedes-Meback Commercial and the German luxury car manufacturer agrees to transport space passengers and their spaceflights to use their electric cars. Under the road, both companies can collaborate to include the design elements of Mercedes-Mebacks in the spacecraft of space perspective.

“We have a similar customer base and our brands are very aligned,” Poanter said, “In this we are both about our customers beyond ‘experience’ and focusing on stability.”

At the other end of the brand spectrum, however, the space perspective recently signed a deal with Mondelez International, the food veteran who owns Oreo Cookies, to launch a galaxy-inspired, limited-sanskrit cookie to launch “space stings”. In shops online and starting on January 23, each cookie is filled with layers of blue and pink “cosmic cream” with a marshmallow flavor and popping candies that creates a supernova burst sensation with each bite. With each procurement, customers can also enter a sweepstake to give regular passengers a chance to win tickets on spaceship Neptune.

“Mondelez partnership suggests that we are working with brands of luxury brands, but also focus on inclusion.” “We are all about bringing this very big idea of ​​discovery of space and making it accessible to everyone.”

The space perspective started taking reservation in 2021 and till date more than 1,750 people have reduced a deposit amount, the company said, representing more than $ 200 million in potential revenue and keeping the company busy for a few years.

Asked if she and a crew flight would be the first to go on a crew flight like McClum Branson and Bezos, said that as long as she can get seats for both of them, there is no doubt (as the first crew test flight usually gives priority to engineers on boards to do test functions).

“I am definitely going before we rise above the public,” he said. “I really want to make sure that we have dial into experience, from the beginning to the end. I want to test it and before we fly with us customers. ,

Leave a Comment