U.S. space balloon innovator, previously regarded as a potential tourism revolutionary, is now controlled by a Spanish company.
In a significant move towards making luxury stratospheric tourism a reality, Eos X Space, a Spanish space tourism company, has announced its acquisition of Space Perspective, a U.S.-based company that had been developing stratospheric balloon capsules for space tourism.
Founded in 2018 by Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum, Space Perspective aimed to offer affordable space tourism using stratospheric balloons and a luxury capsule, Spaceship Neptune. The company had previously announced plans for fine dining experiences in space.
However, Space Perspective faced financial difficulties and operational setbacks, including furloughs and eviction from its Florida facility in April, which forced it to cease operations. This acquisition by Eos X Space could be seen as a lifeline for the struggling company.
Eos X Space, under the leadership of Founder and CEO Kemel Kharbachi, views the deal as a stepping stone to expanding its global footprint. With this acquisition, Space Perspective will operate with full autonomy, under U.S. leadership and corporate structure, as part of Eos X Space's broader strategy to build a scalable and sustainable balloon-based space tourism platform.
The acquisition is expected to revive Space Perspective’s dormant ambitions while integrating efforts with Eos X Space's own balloon-tourism system. Eos X Space has announced plans to open two new facilities in the U.S. One will be a spaceport at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where Space Perspective's Spaceship Neptune would ascend into the sky, providing passengers with an impressive view of Earth and space. The other will be a research and development facility in Silicon Valley.
Space Perspective previously announced it would charge $125,000 per seat for space tourism, but aims for the price to go down, making trips to the edge of space more affordable. The company's lawyers have stated that they are reassessing the entire customer journey and value proposition before reopening official sales.
Before the acquisition, the two firms were competitors. This historic opportunity for the two former rivals to join forces is expected to make manned space tourism a reality. Eos X Space sees this acquisition as a significant step towards its goal of expanding its global footprint and offering affordable space tourism to a wider audience.
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- The acquisition by Eos X Space provides Space Perspective with a critical financial boost, potentially marking a new era for affordable, technology-driven space tourism, blending innovation from both companies in an effort to revolutionize the industry.
- As Space Perspective combines forces with Eos X Space, the integration of their respective scientific advancements and business strategies in finance, technology, and sustainability look poised to make manned space tourism a reality, offering a unique blend of luxury and innovation in the field of science.
