An interstellar exploration company wants to build a space vessel that takes the uberwealthy cruising high up in the earth's atmosphere — and Mercedes-Maybach is lending its luxury brand name to make it happen.
Space Perspective hopes to take travelers up in the air by the end of 2024 in a craft known as Spaceship Neptune, a pressurized capsule with panoramic views.
A space balloon will lift Neptune 100,000 feet into the upper stratosphere, where guests can witness the earth's curvature.
Space Perspectives execs have helped to send others up via balloon before — Google exec Alan Eustace broke the record for the highest skydive in 2014 off a capsule carried by a balloon with the help of Space Perspective's current CEOs, who aim to make theirs the first company to have a crew both ascend and descend by balloon.
But this vessel isn't meant to be like any other capsule sent to space — Mercedes-Maybach will lend its electric cars to the company to take guests to and from its spaceports, one of which will be a ship called the MS Voyager. The legendary brand will also design the spaceship's interior.