The Experience
What is the World View Experience?
The World View experience will begin with a gentle ride in the luxurious comfort of a beautifully appointed space-qualified capsule, lifted by a high altitude balloon to 30 km or 100,000 ft, where passengers will sail along the edge of space for approximately two hours before gliding safely back to Earth. Passengers will be among the privileged few to have seen the curvature of the Earth with their own eyes. They will be astounded by spectacular views, the blackness of space, the brilliance of stars and the thin veil of atmosphere enveloping our planet – scenes witnessed exclusively by astronauts, until now.
What will the interior of the capsule feel like?
The capsule will comfortably hold a total of eight voyagers (six private passengers and two World View pilots.) The interior design of the capsule will enhance and complement the beauty of the view before your eyes, creating an environment conducive to an experience that is as much about personal exploration and individuality as it is about embracing scale and inspiring change. Dual-pane windows the height of the average person and immersive viewing bubbles will allow Voyagers to gaze at the unobstructed 360-degree views of the earth and space. With a mini bar, light refreshments, and lavatory on board, there is no comparative experience on the earth or off. The comfort provided by our award-winning capsule design will ensure the ultimate spaceflight experience.
Is there any special training or medical pre-screening required?
Our goal is to create an experience that does not require pre-training or medical screening. We are in the business of creating a comfortable, “shirtsleeves” environment and experience for our Voyagers, free of any special training or equipment requirements.
Will there be zero gravity?
You will not experience weightlessness, as the World View experience is considered to be a luxurious, comfortable, and natural voyage, not requiring special training or equipment. This environment will allow our patrons to easily move about the capsule, take photos, and enjoy the finest food and your favorite cocktails. Reduced gravity is possible at an altitude of 100,000 ft., but the affect on the body inside our capsule is negligible at best at such an altitude.
What is the duration of the flight?
The total flight experience will take close to 5 hours. You’ll spend about 1.5 hours gracefully ascending to altitude, approximately 2 hours sailing above the atmosphere along the edge of space, and roughly 40 minutes gliding back down to earth.
Am I really going to space?
Voyagers will travel to what we call “nearspace,” which is the very edge of space. We will be floating up to more than 100,000 feet into the atmosphere – almost 20 miles up. To survive at that altitude, one must be in a pressurized, space-certified capsule. If you were to leave the capsule, you would need a spacesuit. Based on these facts, World View falls under the jurisdiction of the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space.
The Tickets
How can I request more information?
Simple. Click here to contact a World View Experience Manager.
How can I be on one of the first flights?
Reservations for the first few flights are in very high demand and are being held at a premium. If you are interested in being on one of the first few flights, please contact our World View Experience team here to discuss options and availability.
The Project
Have test flights already taken place?
We’ve conducted a number of different subscale system and component test flights, with our most recent major test flight taking place in June of 2014. That test validated the full flight profile of the spaceflight system, lifting a 10 percent scale system to 120,000 feet and back down to 50,000 feet where the transition to a parafoil was successfully executed, breaking the world record for highest parafoil flight and allowing further validation of the precision guided landing system of the space vehicle. The flight tested several essential components for consumer flights and captured breathtaking imagery of the view that will be afforded to Voyagers.
What is your biggest challenge or barrier at this time?
All the technologies needed for World View operations have been used for decades in space, high-altitude ballooning and other analogous uses. So, while we will be customizing and infusing updated designs, we don’t believe there are any major, potentially show-stopping challenges. But there is a great deal of rigorous testing ahead that is designed to demonstrate the system’s capabilities and to identify any potential risks so that we can deliver a safe, reliable product to our customers.
When will the first commercial passenger fly?
We have an aggressive internal schedule and program but are not currently publishing a specific commercial flight date. We anticipate commercial flight within a few short years and are aggressively developing our flight system, with a significant volume of subscale, component, and full scale testing taking place to ensure 100% reliability of our technology.
Is this approved by the FAA?
The FAA has given World View’s design a preliminary classification approval, as the capsule will in fact qualify as a space launch vehicle under section 50902(8) of its guidelines covering commercial space launch vehicles.
How safe is ballooning?
High altitude ballooning has been around since the late 18th century and has since evolved and been perfected as a reliable, durable and dependable mode of exploring the edge of space. In fact, the technology is considered within the aerospace community to be extremely dependable and safe.
Why World View?
Our technical partner, Paragon Space Development Corp., is the world’s premiere expert in environmental control and life support systems. Leveraging the unique expertise of our partners, we are uniquely qualified to pioneer this new, accessible and affordable flight regime. Paragon is a 20-year veteran of human spaceflight, and has designed, built and tested environmental control, life support and thermal control systems for manned space missions.
The Logistics
Can I choose my own departure date?
We will do our best to accommodate your schedule and any unique requirements. You are more than welcome to move back in scheduling should friends or family join the program at a later date, but you will not be able to move ahead of those that have booked earlier and thus have higher scheduling priority numbers once tickets are available.
Where will I fly from?
We are still in the process of evaluating our final launch site(s). A handful of U.S. based launch locations are being considered and evaluated at this time. International locations will be considered after our first full year of flight operations.
Is there an age requirement?
We are still evaluating our age requirement policy, but plan on accepting reservations for all those over the age of ten accompanied by an adult over the age of eighteen.
