The fine article states that this "spacecraft" is to launch under a "SpaceBalloon". There is no mention of altitude. I am sceptical about a launch system whose name implies that it relies on buoyancy to be able to rise into the vacuum.
The flight will last approximately six hours, from launch to landing. Spaceship Neptune will ascend for two hours, float at its apogee of 100,000 ft (30 km) for two hours, and descend gently over two more hours before splashdown in the ocean where a ship awaits."
I thought so as well, then I saw the sphere and thought "oh - they are sending it to the bottom of the ocean, hence Neptune..." and now its a frickin balloon!?
Honestly compared to other space tourism outfits this one seems pretty reasonable. No flashy new tech, no intense reentry. We have sent vehicles and even people up on high altitude balloon rides before. I am quite sure it would be too expensive for me and I don't care for dangerous experimental tech, but otherwise it seems like something I would enjoy.
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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 53.2 ms ] threadhttps://www.researchgate.net/figure/Average-wind-speeds-in-m...
"How long is the flight?"
The flight will last approximately six hours, from launch to landing. Spaceship Neptune will ascend for two hours, float at its apogee of 100,000 ft (30 km) for two hours, and descend gently over two more hours before splashdown in the ocean where a ship awaits."
/grabs trident
I was very dubious about the sustainable part since I assumed they would be using helium, but it looks like they are using renewable hydrogen.
I'm inclined to dismiss this as just snake oil scammy rubbish.
If they had named it something less misleading and click baity I'd be super enthused by it.