CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Space Perspective, Earth’s leading luxury spaceflight experience company, today announced additional financing from a group of investors including Silicon Valley Bank, Trinity Capital, and investor and philanthropist Henry Kravis. The financing brings the company’s total capital raised to date to more than $65 million.
The new partners join existing investors Prime Movers Lab, LightShed Ventures, Explorer 1 Fund, Yamauchi no.10 Family Office, Tony Robbins, E2MC, SpaceFund, Kirenaga Partners, Base Ventures and 1517 Fund. The funding will be used to accelerate the company’s continued growth.
“We are so excited for the opportunity to support Space Perspective with venture debt financing and be a small part in providing people the life changing experience of space travel,” said Ryan Edwards, Managing Director at Silicon Valley Bank.
“Space Perspective is leading the way in reimagining space travel,” said Ryan Thompson, Managing Director of Trinity Capital. “We are extremely excited to partner with a company that is unlocking this next-generation of tourism and at the same time making it safe and delivering a truly unique experience. I am confident in the team working at Space Perspective and look forward to supporting them in this grand endeavor.”
The additional $17 million in funding is another significant milestone achieved by Space Perspective over the past few months. In December 2021, Space Perspective announced Florida’s Space Coast Spaceport adjacent to Kennedy Space Center as the location for the company’s worldwide campus and manufacturing complex. The company also announced plans to hire approximately 240 full-time people by the end of 2026. To date, the team has added industry luminaries such as: Mitzi Giles, Balloon Development and Manufacturing Lead and the world’s leading SpaceBalloon manufacturer who built record-breaking NASA balloons and balloons that flew the world’s heaviest payload above 100K feet (30km); Ryan Nascimento, Launch and Recovery IPT Lead, who led the development and operation of all SpaceX Dragon capsule marine retrievals; Ryon Warren, Structures IPT Lead, a lead for Boeing’s 787 composite fuselage and window system; Pedro Langa, VP Finance and former CFO for Alibaba Supermarkets; Curtis Larsen, a capsule parachute systems expert who has worked on the parachutes for every US spacecraft capsule since Apollo; and Scott Bradfield, Head of Studio, an award-winning documentarian and former lead of Red Bull’s Media House.
“The Spaceship Neptune team includes every living engineer to have designed a SpaceBalloon capsule, including the world record Red Bull Stratos capsule, engineers behind our StratEx World Record human SpaceBalloon flight, and world class designers from the aircraft, automotive and transportation industries,” said Taber MacCallum, Founder, Co-CEO and Chief Technology Officer of Space Perspective. “The team has achieved true elegance in the design and engineering of Spaceship Neptune.”
Space Perspective recently unveiled Spaceship Neptune’s state-of-the-art, customizable Space LoungeTM interior - the world’s first customizable space lounge featuring the largest-ever windows to be flown to the edge of space. The company also announced that hospitality and entertainment entrepreneur David Grutman joined the crew as Experience Curator to advise on the end-to-end experience for Space Explorers, from arrival at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to in-flight and post-landing.
Commercial flights are targeted to begin in late 2024. With the first year of seats completely reserved, Space Perspective is currently taking reservations for 2025 and beyond. Tickets are priced at a market-beating $125,000 per person, and bookings are made with a fully refundable deposit beginning at $1,000 (customers can also book and pay online via crypto - a first in the commercial space flight industry). Entire capsules are also available for reservations (up to eight guests and a pilot). Space Perspective’s human spaceflight launches are regulated by the FAA Office of Commercial Spaceflight.
For more information, visit SpacePerspective.com. Follow Space Perspective for updates on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
About Space Perspective
Space Perspective is the world’s first luxury spaceflight experience company. It invites more people than has historically been possible to experience a thrillingly new and visceral perspective that expands the human consciousness – the incredibly exhilarating panoramas and scale of Earth in space. The Observer cited Space Perspective as “the best suborbital space tourism offering in the world.”
Setting a new bar in out-of-this-world thrilling experiences, as soon as late 2024 Space Perspective plans to take Space Explorers to space inside Spaceship Neptune’s pressurized capsule propelled by a high-performance SpaceBalloon without using rocket fuel or high G forces. Space Explorers see the world anew through its vast windows, 450 miles in any direction. The ultra-comfortable, accessible, and gentle six-hour journey redefines space travel.
Space Perspective is led by industry luminaries Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum and their unique-in-the-world expert crew who have been integral to all human SpaceBalloon flights in the last 50 years. Building on that experience, the Space Perspective crew has innovated and patented the safest spaceflight experience in the world. Poynter and MacCallum have been dubbed ‘Masters of the stratosphere’ by Bloomberg Businessweek. MacCallum also served as Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
Editor’s Note
Mitzi Giles, Balloon Development and Manufacturing Lead, is the globally recognized leader in SpaceBalloon design and manufacturing, with experience encompassing every aspect of development, from research through engineering, manufacturing, continuous improvements, and post -flight investigation. Her accomplishments include being the only person in the world to lead the design and manufacture of the heavy lift balloon that flew 10,000 pounds to over 100,000 feet; program support in the record-setting NASA Super Pressure Balloons receiving multiple NASA achievement awards; participation in commercial and NASA review boards; and supporting the regular manufacturing of SpaceBalloon™ flights going above 100,000 feet.
Scott Bradfield, Head of Studio, is an Emmy award-winning documentarian who “broke the internet” with record live streams of the Red Bull Stratos space dive. As SVP of Content at Red Bull, he produced record live streams of the Red Bull Stratos project, co-created the Red Bull Signature Series, and reimagined global viewing habits and content consumption while ushering in the digital revolution with Red Bull TV. His pioneering action sports documentaries such as The Art of Flight, The Alpinist, and Dear Rider center on narrative and human elements that appeal to audiences and investors alike.
Pedro Langa, VP Finance, is responsible for the company’s financial functions including accounting, audit, treasury, corporate finance, and investor relations. Before joining Space Perspective, Pedro served as CFO of Rokk3r, CFO/COO for Alibaba Supermarkets, and he was a finance advisor (Ministerial Head Office) for Mozambique’s Minister of Mineral Resources. Pedro holds a Master’s in finance from London Business School, PLD from Harvard Business School, and is also a CPA & CMA.
Ryon Warren, Structures IPT Lead, brings a unique combination of aerospace and marine composite structural engineering to the Space Perspective crew. He worked for Boeing for 10 years which culminated with a lead position on the 787 all-composite fuselage structure. Following his passion for sailing, he joined Reichel-Pugh Yacht Design in San Diego as the lead structural design engineer. Seeking to combine these diverse interests, he started his own consulting company focused on composite structures for autonomous submarines, space tourism vehicles such as Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft, and human SpaceBalloon capsules.
Ryan Nascimento, Launch and Recovery IPT Lead. After developing and implementing the Crew Dragon capsule recovery system at SpaceX, he was part of the recovery team on both the first SpaceX crewed Dragon flight and the Inspiration 4 flight. He holds the world record for leading the most human capsule recovery operations.
Curtis Larsen, Suspension and Parachute IPT Lead, is an expert in parachute systems and rigging, and oversees the capsule’s reserve descent system. He brings two decades of air operations expertise from both the US Navy and the private aerospace industry to Space Perspective. Curtis spent more than six years involved with the Research, Design, Test, and Evaluation process for SpaceX, Boeing, Blue Origin, and NASA capsule parachute systems. He holds an impressive array of certifications for skills in the air and sea, including FAA master rigger, jumpmaster, accelerated free fall instructor, oxygen equipment technician, HRST/C master, and water survival specialist.
