Another high altitude balloon company enters the space tourism market
Capitalism in space: Another high altitude balloon company, this time from Spain, is now vying for the space tourism market.
EOS-X Space, a Spanish startup, wants to take 10,000 people to the frontier of space within the next 10 years. With EOS-X Space, the journeys won’t be in rockets or ultrasonic planes. They’ll instead take place in a pressurized capsule propelled by a balloon that will rise to an altitude of up to 40 kilometers, or nearly 25 miles.
This means space tourists won’t have to wear a suit for the duration of the trip, nor will they have to do any physical preparation. Depending on the weather, each trip is set to last four or five hours.
They are targeting the same market as the American company Space Perspectives, which hopes to begin flying tourists on its stratospheric balloon, dubbed Neptune, by ’24.
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Capitalism in space: Another high altitude balloon company, this time from Spain, is now vying for the space tourism market.
EOS-X Space, a Spanish startup, wants to take 10,000 people to the frontier of space within the next 10 years. With EOS-X Space, the journeys won’t be in rockets or ultrasonic planes. They’ll instead take place in a pressurized capsule propelled by a balloon that will rise to an altitude of up to 40 kilometers, or nearly 25 miles.
This means space tourists won’t have to wear a suit for the duration of the trip, nor will they have to do any physical preparation. Depending on the weather, each trip is set to last four or five hours.
They are targeting the same market as the American company Space Perspectives, which hopes to begin flying tourists on its stratospheric balloon, dubbed Neptune, by ’24.
Please consider donating to Behind the Black, by giving either a one-time contribution or a regular subscription, as outlined in the tip jar below. Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Regular readers can support Behind The Black with a contribution via paypal:
If Paypal doesn't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
I wonder how much it’ll cost?
I am familiar with the terms supersonic (Mach 1+), and hypersonic (Mach 5+); does anyone know the parameters for ‘ultrasonic’?
Possibly an artifact of the general numbskullery that is normative in journalism these days. It’s also very possible that this is a translation error, given that the source of the article is the Spanish edition of Business Insider.
If you look a bit further into this project I believe it is sponsored by a billionaire nail and beauty solon chain owner who will be providing “Ultrasonic” foot baths and pedicures as you “Sail to the edges of space”, for no extra charge. Its a great promotion tie in. You have not lived until you have had an ultrasonic pedi.
I think the ticket price is around $150 to 200 K. (Not bad, with the free ultrasonic pedicure that is.)
Q: What if the balloon envelope fails? Are there any provisions for such an event?
The first flights I believe are scheduled for April 1, 2024.