Commercial space travel is no longer lightyears away.
World View, a space tourism company based in Tucson is making space travel more accessible and comfortable through immersive voyages to Earth’s Stratosphere that are safe and suitable for the average space tourist, but still invoke the awe and wonder astronauts experience while viewing our planet from space.
A “Strato-balloon,” about the size of a football stadium, will gently transport passengers in the Explorer Capsule 100,000 feet above Earth. The helium-filled balloon uses flight technology trusted by NASA that ensures a peaceful and reliable take off and landing.
Inside the Explorer Capsule, passengers will ride in a pressurized, climate-controlled cabin that provides 360-degree viewing and relaxing service. Each cabin fits eight guests, 18 years and older, and two crew members. Service animals are welcome to fly, too.
On board amenities include a lavatory; plush and fully reclining seating; luxe in-flight dining and bar service; a star-viewing telescope; high-speed WiFi; oversized windows for 360-degree viewing; an Earth View camera; and individual viewing screens.
World View flights liftoff before dawn and ascend into space for two hours until the capsule reaches a peak altitude of 100,000 feet, where passengers can view the curvature of the Earth as well as stars against the darkness of space. The capsule will then descend gradually for one hour and touch down on land at designated landing areas for a six- to eight-hour journey in total.
At 10,000 feet passengers will have a spectacular panoramic view of the Earth’s surface. With the wide-angle views from the capsule, the horizon will stretch into the distance more than 1,000 miles in every direction. Passengers will get to clearly see the curvature of Earth and the “thin blue line” of Earth’s atmosphere, as well as experience being enveloped in the darkness of space.
The first year of World View flights, which are set to take off in 2024, are already sold out while 2025 reservations are filling up quickly. Tickets are $50,000 per seat and require an initial deposit of $500. According to the World View website, there is no special training or medical exam needed to fly.
Click here to reserve your flight with World View and experience the wonder of space for yourself.
