Space tourism has ushered in a new brand of luxury travel, promising expensive meals and designer flight suits, set against a backdrop of landscapes with the curvature of the Earth. A Florida-based startup is offering six passengers the chance to ride in a balloon-propelled capsule while enjoying what it says is the first Michelin-starred meal in space. Let’s be honest, we hate to be like that, but space-seeing capsules aren’t going to reach space.
This week, Space Perspective announced a partnership with Alchemist, the two-Michelin-starred restaurant helmed by chef Rasmus Munk, to host meals aboard the company’s Neptune spaceship. The capsule will be attached to a space balloon and taken to the stratosphere with six passengers on board for the six-hour journey. Each ticket costs $495,000.
The giant balloon is propelled by hydrogen gas and rises at a slow speed of 12 miles per hour (19 kilometers per hour) to an altitude of 20 miles (30 kilometers). Technically, however, space begins 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth, at an internationally recognized boundary that separates the atmosphere from space, called the Kármán Line.
It remains an imaginary boundary because it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where space begins, and the Earth’s atmosphere does not have a cutoff point at which it disappears. Instead, it gradually thins as altitude increases. To determine the Kármán line, experts agree that space should start at a point where orbital dynamics are more important than aerodynamic forces. By then, Earth’s atmosphere alone won’t be enough to support the craft. For context, airliners typically ascend to an altitude of 7.9 miles (12.7 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface.
Under the definition of “non-space” ending, a satellite can be positioned over different countries and is not considered a threat as long as it is above airspace boundaries.
SpaceX does make the distinction in the fine print, recognizing that its spacecraft Neptune only reaches the edge of space. Yet coverage of the Michelin-starred meal touted it as a flight to space. This is not correct.
We’ve seen this type of mistake before when it comes to space tourism, and frankly, it really annoys us. Similarly, Virgin Galactic Unite space shuttle The maximum altitude for passenger flights is 54.2 miles (87 kilometers). It’s somewhat close to actual space, but still not quite space.
There are still stunning views to be seen from the edge of space, and passengers aboard Space Perspective’s Neptune will be decked out in custom-made clothing by French fashion house Ogier. Private bathroom with large window. The capsule is also pressurized so passengers can move around inside it. It’s a far cry from the experience of astronauts aboard the International Space Station, who float in microgravity while wearing traditional white spacesuits, squeezing mincemeat from packaging. They did it in actual space though, so it’s still cool.
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