British billionaire and Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson is investing in Titusville-based Space Perspective, and he will co-pilot a pressurized capsule and enormous hydrogen balloon on the company’s upcoming maiden crewed flight about 19 miles up above the Earth’s surface.
When? The landmark mission may launch in late 2025, following a series of eight to 10 more uncrewed test flights to collect more data.
“Richard is both a legendary balloonist and he’s inspired a generation of entrepreneurs. So having him both as an investor and co-pilot in the first human flight brings a pretty broad range of great help and input to the company,” said Taber MacCallum, Space Perspective co-founder and chief technology officer.
“His ballooning experience is really quite extensive. I get lots of back-and-forth with him pretty much every day: ‘I have questions,’ and, ‘How about this?’ and, ‘What are we doing about that?’ So it’s a great technical exchange,” MacCallum said.
Rocket photography: FLORIDA TODAY’s 2025 Space Launch Calendar is here
Space Perspective’s activities continue ramping up since officials conducted an August 2023 ribbon-cutting ceremony for their 49,000-square-foot polyethylene balloon manufacturing facility at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville.
Last month, a Space Perspective pressurized capsule soared into Earth’s stratosphere on the company’s second uncrewed test flight. Packed with sensors and instrumentation, the capsule and 550-foot-tall hydrogen-filled balloon ascended from the deck of company ship MS Voyager in the Gulf of Mexico miles off the St. Petersburg coast, logging a six-hour aerial journey before executing a controlled descent and splashdown.
The company hopes to launch commercial passenger service in 2026. “Space lounge” capsules will offer Wi-Fi and cocktail service — “with no rockets, weightlessness, heavy g-forces, or training required, the experience is designed to be as easy as an airplane flight,” a press release described.
Before that happens, MacCallum said eight to 10 more uncrewed test flights will occur before the inaugural human mission happens, perhaps in late 2025. MacCallum will also fly on that landmark crewed mission alongside Branson and fellow Space Perspective co-founder Jane Poynter.
“The first time people fly in it will be the first time we really get to understand and feel what that is as a human experience,” MacCallum said.
“During ascent, the Earth falls away for over two hours — and the sky becomes black and you see the thin blue line of the atmosphere. That’s going to be an amazingly powerful experience to see,” he said.
Branson flew to space on Virgin Galactic spacecraft
Branson founded Virgin Galactic, a space tourism company based at Spaceport America in New Mexico. He made a suborbital spaceflight in July 2021 aboard his company’s VSS Unity spacecraft, surpassing the 50-mile altitude threshold.
Previously, Branson broke ballooning world records by crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a hot air balloon in 1987, then doing likewise across the Pacific Ocean in 1991.
“Some of the most magnificent experiences of my life have happened on ballooning expeditions and I’m excited to support Space Perspective in its journey,” Branson said in a press release.
“I’m passionate about adventure and helping fellow entrepreneurs reach their business dreams. I look forward to dusting off my old ballooning license ahead of some magnificent test flights,” the press release said.
The billionaire with 12.3 million X followers founded the Virgin Group, the roots of which predate Branson’s 1972 launch of Virgin Records. The holding company now includes more than 40 Virgin companies in more than 35 countries, according to its website.
Virgin Galactic, one of those companies, reported in August it has pre-booked about 700 customers from 60 countries. The company cited a potential space-tourism worldwide market size of 300,000 target customers, with a projected 8% annual growth rate.
Engineers are designing two Virgin Galactic’s jet fighter-esque spacecraft to fly in 2026 from Spaceport America with average mission turnaround times of three days. These futuristic spacecraft will hitch rides aboard a larger “mothership” aircraft and climb to elevations of 45,000 feet. Then they will be released, and a rocket motor will ignite and propel the spacecraft to speeds triple the speed of sound. Price: $600,000 per seat.
Space Perspective tickets cost $125,000 each
Branson made an undisclosed investment in the Titusville-based company that will “accelerate Space Perspective’s development and test flight program and confirms its leadership position in affordable, hydrogen-powered, stratospheric ballooning,” the press release said.
Tabor declined to divulge details of Branson’s investment, labeling it “a personal investment on his part.” Tabor also said his company is not involved in discussions with partnering with Virgin Galactic, but “I imagine that might happen at some point.”
Space Perspective reports it has raised $100 million from investors. A reservation aboard an eight-passenger pressurized capsule costs $125,000 — and the company has booked more than 1,800 reservations.
Last month, Poynter told FLORIDA TODAY she hopes her company someday launches about 140 balloon flights per year each from multiple locations around the world.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Richard Branson to co-pilot 1st Space Perspective crewed balloon flight
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