In the coming years, the most over-the-top luxury travel won’t be by private jet but by private spaceship. We’ve seen several companies market to this demographic, including Virgin Galactic, where a flight with celebrities like Leonardo Di Caprio will run you upwards of $1.5 million, or more like $200k for a “normal” flight. But the latest to capture our attention is a bit more low-key: World View offers passengers a trip in a fully-pressurized space capsule for six that promises “a gentle ascent” 20 mile above earth.
Luxuriously styled and engineered, the capsule is transported by a ParaWing and a high-altitude balloon, which expands gradually until voyagers reach their peak altitude atop 99 percent of Earth’s atmosphere. Unlike the G thrust that many other space carriers would offer, this “float” seems more like a hot air balloon ride into space.
For $75,000, you’re guaranteed a seat, in-flight internet access (you know, to document it all) and an experience you’ll remember forever. A $5,000 deposit ensures your space travel is officially “on the books.” Travel is expected to begin in late 2016.
Here’s what we love: Although the flight won’t be quite as rigorous feeling or as high (68 miles on Virgin vs. 20 for World View), the idea of gently floating above Earth sounds almost spa like — and exactly the kind of space travel we’re itching to sign up for.
