Space tourism company Space Perspective has unveiled a test capsule for its Neptune spacecraft that, buoyed by a giant balloon, could carry tourists into the stratosphere next year.
The pressurised capsule will embark on its first unmanned test flight over the coming weeks, with the aim to have a human-rated version of the spaceship ready for commercial flights by 2025.
Space Perspective unveiled a pressurised test capsule for its Neptune spaceship
Neptune is "only the third commercial suborbital spacecraft to ever be successfully built", according to Space Perspective, following Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and Blue Origin's Crew Capsule.
The teardrop-shaped capsule was designed by London-based studio Of My Imagination to provide a markedly different experience from its forebearers. Panoramic windows encircle the circumference of the capsule
Hauled by a hydrogen-filled balloon instead of a rocket engine, the Neptune capsule will travel at only around 12 miles per hour while generating a fraction of the emissions.
Travellers' "journey to the edge of space" will last six hours ? compared to Virgin Galactic's 90 minutes ? allowing them to enjoy onboard amenities including a cocktail bar and Wifi access.
The spherical capsule has a 4.9 metre diameter
"We like to joke that every self-respecting spaceship should have a bar," co-founder Jane Poynter told Dezeen in an exclusive interview last year.
"And we talk about that because you really can...