MAIDEN VOYAGE IN THE AIR
Journey Beyond While 2020 has been a turbulent year for commercial aviation,
a six-hour trip. “We wanted to make sure that passengers
exploration into space travel has continued to accelerate.
would be able to get 360-degree unobstructed views and that
This year has seen test flights, rocket launches, landings and
we created an efficient space that would enable them to move
talk of spaceports, but perhaps one of the most interesting
around during the journey,” Goode continues. “Meanwhile,
innovations is a spaceship designed with the passenger
we needed to minimise weight and create a highly functional
experience in mind.
environment for the pilot. All these elements guided the shape
With commercial space travel edging ever-closer,
Flown by a pilot, Neptune will take up to eight passengers
a high-performance balloon and pressurised capsule that will
to the edge of space, where only 20 people have been before.
fly to the edge of space. “Neptune is the culmination of a long-
Following a gentle two-hour ascent, the spaceship will
term collaboration that has resulted in the only spaceship that
cruise at an altitude of 100,000ft, above 99% of the Earth’s
is designed with the human experience at its core and will pave
atmosphere, where there’s time to relax and take in the sights.
the way for the future of commercial space travel,” explains
The balloon attached to the top of the capsule then allows
Nigel Goode, co-founder of PriestmanGoode. “We looked at
for a leisurely descent into water, where a ship retrieves the
all the different elements that would make the experience not
passengers and the spacecraft.
just memorable, but truly comfortable.” Designed from the inside-out, the vessel features comfortable seating as well as all the essentials needed for
000
of the final capsule.”
PriestmanGoode has worked with Space Perspective to develop
The first un-crewed test flight is scheduled for early 2021 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If successful, day trips could soon be on the horizon.
