space perspective finishes building largest travel capsule ‘excelsior’ for flights out of earth

Space Perspective welcomes Excelsior

After more than a decade of work and the completion of a prototype back in December 2023, Space Perspective has finally finished building Excelsior, dubbed the world’s largest spaceflight test capsule in existence. Excelsior is the capsule of Spaceship Neptune, capable of taking eight passengers and a captain into outer space and back to Earth.

Alongside the completion of the spaceflight capsule Excelsior, two other projects by Space Perspective have made progress: its first SpaceBalloon is already finished, and its launch vessel, Marine Spaceport Voyager, is in its final stage of preparation. Now that building Excelsior has concluded, Space Perspective is preparing to take the spaceflight capsule out of Earth for test flights, gearing up for commercial travel to outer space in 2025.

images courtesy of Space Perspective

Dubbed the world’s largest spaceflight test capsule

Space Perspective’s spaceflight capsule Excelsior may soon claim the title of being the largest human spacecraft in operation, excluding space stations. It is the capsule designed as part of Spaceship Neptune, which also includes the SpaceBalloon that will lift the entire spaceflight out of Earth using renewable hydrogen. Delving into the size details, Excelsior is 16 feet in diameter and has a pressurized volume of more than 2,000 cubic feet. Space Perspective compares this to being twice the volume of Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Two and Blue Origin’s New Shepard, and about four times that of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

Space Perspective finished building Excelsior, dubbed the world’s largest spaceflight test capsule in existence

If all goes according to plan, Space Perspective’s spaceflight capsule Excelsior and Spaceship Neptune can carry eight passengers and one captain at once for a six-hour journey lifted by a SpaceBalloon at around 12 mph. When it’s time to go down, the launch vessel waits in the ocean as the dedicated spaceport, ready to welcome them back to Earth. There are no rockets or heavy G-forces involved, and the travelers, called Explorers, can enjoy the first-class Space Lounge complete with Wi-Fi, gourmet culinary offerings, plush seating, luxury amenities, and the Space Spa, the company’s take on a spa and restroom at once.

Excelsior is capable of taking eight passengers and one captain into outer space and back to Earth

Space Perspective aims to start taking people off Earth in 2025. So far, Space Perspective has more than 1,750 ticket holders who have booked their spots for the Excelsior and Spaceship Neptune. Now that the spaceflight capsule is complete, the initial flights will launch off the Space Coast of Florida, and the company is also currently in talks to bring operations to the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. They add that they expect ticket sales to reach 4,000 seats sold by the end of 2024. For a brief overview, a seat on Spaceship Neptune costs 125,000 USD, and if Space Perspective manages to achieve their target, they can have around 400 million USD in bookings by the end of 2024.

now that building Excelsior has concluded, Space Perspective is preparing for test flights

Exploring Space Perspective’s spaceflight capsule Excelsior

Sphere is the shape that Space Perspective’s spaceflight capsule Excelsior takes, helping create an ideal pressure vessel. The form molds a light and robust structure for the test capsule, providing passengers and the captain with a roomy interior. Repeated vertical windows encircle the spaceflight capsule to allow for panoramic views. Space Perspective says that had the windows been horizontal, the view might appear divided or split to the human eye due to stereoscopic vision. The windows forged for the spaceflight capsule protect Excelsior and its passengers from harmful sunlight wavelengths while also controlling heat in the capsule without altering the color of the view from the stars above and the Earth below.

Excelsior is 16 feet in diameter and has a pressurized volume of more than 2,000 cubic feet

The capsule design, manufacturing, testing, and operational functions of the spaceflight capsule Excelsior all come from the in-house development of Space Perspective. This includes a carbon composite manufacturing facility with process control, a material testing laboratory, and a capsule integration hangar. Space Perspective also designed the flight electrical and power systems, software, mission control, and the environmental control and life support systems, including atmospheric and thermal control. For a brief background check, Space Perspective’s team has been part of some of the U.S. human spacecraft for the past 40 years, working directly for or on high-profile projects with the likes of NASA, SpaceX, Boeing, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and the U.S. Navy.

Sphere is the shape that Space Perspective’s spaceflight capsule takes, helping create an ideal pressure vessel