When you think of a trip to space, the first image that pops into your mind likely involves a rocket hurling out flames and powering its way into the sky. That is how it tends to be done, and it’s how you’ll get there with Bezos’ Blue Origin. However, the company’s now two main rivals have different takes on getting to space. Virgin Galactic achieves sub-orbital flight by piggybacking on a carrier aircraft before blasting off with its own rockets while at altitude. Most uniquely, Space Perspective’s effort doesn’t rely on rockets at all.
Instead, it’s lifted above 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere via a balloon large enough “to house the Statue of Liberty,” according to the company. At the end of a six-hour ascent, the pressurized capsule hits 100,000 feet, allowing for 360-degree views of both Earth and Space, before gently lowering itself back to Earth and landing in the ocean.
