Today’s episode is out of this world… literally! Rodney sits down with Edyta Teper, Vice President of Global Sales at Space Perspective, to dive into space tourism. Edyta shares how Space Perspective’s innovative Spaceship Neptune takes travelers on a gentle, six-hour journey to the edge of space, offering breathtaking views and luxurious amenities. They’ll discuss Edyta’s journey into the industry, the unique aspects and costs of this exclusive adventure, and the excitement surrounding recent test flights, including plans for the first crewed mission with Richard Branson as co-pilot. As always, Rodney reminds us to “Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think”—a perfect motto for exploring the thrill and wonder of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [1:28] Edyta describes how they will take travelers to the edge of space
• [6:20] Edyta tells how she became a part of this industry
• [8:32] What are the concerns and options regarding space travel
• [10:45] Costs, availability, deposit structures, and who are the typical explorers
• [14:25] Discussion of the demonstration flight
• [16:50] Richard Branson will be a co-pilot on the first crewed flight
• [18:44] A comparison to 50 years ago in the cruise industry

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Space Perspective’s Spaceship Neptune offers a gentle, six-hour journey to the edge of space in a pressurized capsule carried by a space balloon. With room for eight guests and a captain, the capsule features large windows, Wi-Fi, drinks, and a bathroom with a view. The trip ascends to 100,000 feet in two hours, pauses for two hours, and begins a smooth descent, creating an accessible, breathtaking experience.
• Space Perspective offers a unique space tourism experience, taking passengers to the edge of space in a luxurious capsule for $125,000 per seat or $1,000,000 for a private capsule of eight. With a backlog of over 1,800 reservations, they’re sold out through the first hundred flights, with the subsequent available bookings extending to 2029. 
• Space Perspective recently completed two successful test flights, including the first full-scale flight of the Spaceship Neptune Excelsior. Launched from the Gulf Coast, the capsule reached 100,000 feet before a controlled descent and splashdown, validating key technologies and providing valuable data. These milestones move Space Perspective closer to commercial test flights under FAA regulation.

RESOURCES:

Luxury Travelers - Podcast

Luxe Travel - Website

Luxe Travel - Facebook

Luxe Travel - Instagram

Edyta Teper - LinkedIn

Space Perspective - Website

GUEST BIOGRAPHY: Edyta Teper 

Edyta Teper, with 30 years of travel industry experience and a strong international background, joined Space Perspective in 2021 and quickly became instrumental in advancing its mission to make space travel more accessible. Her impressive career includes leadership roles at Jetset Tours, Carnival Cruise Lines, Crystal Cruises, Virtuoso, and Virgin Voyages, where she developed key partnerships and led sales teams. At Space Perspective, she has continued to foster crucial industry relationships, making trade a significant part of the company’s growth, including securing an exclusive trade partnership in Japan.

So buckle up and prepare for a journey into the lap of luxury. Now your host.

Are you interested yet? Well, you will be as soon as you meet this lovely lady. Welcome to the show, Adita.

Rodney George: Well, we piqued everyone's interest, I'm sure, with the name of your company. But tell us a little bit about what is Space Perspectives and what in the world is going on there right now.

Rodney George: You do this by pretty unconventional means. I mean, we're not going to blast off in a rocket.

We have to have, you know, 14 G's of force against us. How in the world are we going to do this?

Imagine it's a space lounge with eight seats, so we will have eight explorers and a captain, the largest windows ever flown to the edge of space. We will have Wi Fi. [00:02:30] We will have drinks and a bathroom, which we call, yes, uh, with a view. And I'll leave it at that. Yeah, our explorers are going to have this beautiful journey.

So as I was saying, the experience is two [00:03:15] hours to the edge of space, and then two hours at the apogee, which is a hundred thousand feet, and then we'll gently begin, uh, descent. And that will take about two hours, um, [00:03:30] as well. So all in all, about six hour journey.

Rodney George: This experience is going to begin somewhere in Florida.

Is that right?

Edyta Teper: Yeah. Gulf Coast of Florida. That's right, Rodney. Yes. Okay.

Edyta Teper: That is correct. So we know from experience that when astronauts go to space and they see our planet [00:04:00] from that vintage point, they experience this cognitive shift.

Rodney George: What is it that separates [00:04:45] you from, I don't, I don't know, do you even have any competitors out there that are doing this, uh, balloon technology to the edge of space?

40 years. And also sustainability is another, uh, differentiator for us. Uh, you know, our space balloons are upcycled and, uh, after each flight and [00:05:15] then obviously spaceship Neptune can be, uh, reused. We work with partners like Cool Effect and Avertine on carbon offsets as well. And we will support our research on board of Spaceship [00:05:30] Neptune and also on MS Voyager.

Now,

Rodney George: are you going to have more than one of these spaceships?

Rodney George: I know. And you're, uh, in your bio, it talks about that you have over 30 years of experience in travel. First of all, you must've started when you were in kindergarten.

Edyta Teper: Oh, you're very kind.

Edyta Teper: You know, Rodney, five years ago, if someone said to me, you will be in space travel, I would say that they were a little crazy.[00:06:30]

Uh, so no, five years ago, I would have never [00:07:00] thought that I would be in this space. But I will tell you, It's an honor and a privilege, uh, to be in this space. No pun intended.

Edyta Teper: It's really interesting, uh, Rony, the space travel market is rapidly emerging as the fastest growing segment in experiential travel. [00:07:30] So, things shifted after COVID and statistics show us that upscale consumers, COVID 19. Uh, enthusiastic about, you know, bespoken experiences, about transformative luxury [00:07:45] experiences.

Rodney George: This is an answer to a question I get all the time. You [00:08:15] know, I have clients that have been to all seven continents. They've done all seven oceans. They go, what else you got? Well, have you thought about space? I mean, what are the common concerns that, uh, that the typical client would have about space travels?

Edyta Teper: Yeah. Sanity's first. What's really interesting in our conversation, uh, conversations with whether it's with our explorers or whether with our travel partners is that the [00:08:45] belief is that the only way to access space is a rocket. So when we start having a conversation about space perspective and going to the edge of space in a pressurized capsule propelled by a space balloon, [00:09:00] uh, you know, in a very gentle and safe way, the first thing that clients or advisors tell us is, How did I not know that this was an option?

I can take. My whole family, you know, in a capsule and share this transformative, beautiful experience. [00:09:45]

Rodney George: On that subject, how many people can you accommodate on a single trip?

Edyta Teper: Eight. So, uh, Spaceship Neptune, um, will take eight explorers and the captain, yes.

Edyta Teper: Well, we went on sale. I joined the company August. of 2021st and we went on sale two months prior to that. Yet to date, we have reserved over 1800 seats. [00:10:30] More than any other space company. We are currently sold out for the first hundred flights. Uh, we have a wait list for those. We are selling right now, Rodney, up, uh, I mean, to 2029.[00:10:45]

But the cost of the flight currently is 125, 000 per person and 1, 000, 000 for a full capsule. [00:11:15] Uh, as I said, we have very different deposit structures. If someone wants to be part of our community, they want to be engaged, they, uh, are really just interested, but maybe they're just not ready to fly in the next, you [00:11:30] know, two or three years.

Rodney George: So you're going to have to build some capacity into this because if it's selling that well already, the demand is clearly there.

Rodney George: Who are our.

Edyta Teper: Yeah, look, it's really interesting. Um, you know, I like to look at demographics as well as psychographics. You know, to me, that's always really important. Um, you know, if you look at solid demographics. [00:12:45] Probably about 70 percent of our explorers are male, 30 percent female, um, very heavy skewed in the finance industry followed by, um, you know, entertainment industry and so forth.

So there [00:13:30] is a small percentage of those explorers. Uh, you, when you look at the psychographics, it's very interesting. Obviously we had our pioneers. At the very beginning, uh, then we had, uh, Explorers who are into [00:13:45] adventure. So maybe they love expedition cruises, uh, you know, really adventurous people. Um, and then, you know, you have family, family travel, because this is really, uh, a great opportunity [00:14:00] for multi generational, um, you know, travel as well.

Rodney George: So recently you've had a couple of successful test flights, I believe, right?

So it's, it's a test capsule and the flight launched from MS Voyager. So from the ship, like I said, of the Gulf coast of Florida. And [00:14:45] um, It, it was propelled by the space balloon. It reached a hundred thousand feet, which is before making a controlled descent and splashdown. So it successfully completed, um, it's full flight [00:15:00] profile, which is obviously fantastic.

Rodney George: And you're regulated by the FAA, I would guess, right?

Edyta Teper: Yes, so we're regulated by, uh, the FAA.

Rodney George: I first met you 18 months ago and you, uh, and you guys were really just starting to ramp up and now you've got stuff. Did you say you had things booked through 2029?

Rodney George: Wow. So if I wanted to book today, it's, I'm going to be on the, I'm going to be stapled to the bottom of the 2029 list.

They're driven by the desire to be part of this community. Um, they love coming to mission control and being, uh, you [00:16:30] know, part of this, um, um, part of our experience.

Can you tell us about that?

[00:17:15] Uh, Richard brings his unmatched, uh, ballooning experience, his desire for, you know, for adventure. So we're really, really excited, um, about this.

Edyta Teper: Yes, he did. Um, he did invest, uh, which is also, um, it's a pretty significant investment, which we are thrilled, um, about and we're thrilled to have him on this journey with us.

Edyta Teper: No, um, right now the anticipated flight time will be end of 2025. But to be,

Rodney George: to

Edyta Teper: be, to be advised.

If you want to be the first quote kid [00:18:15] on your block, that's got a ticket to ride. Uh, you, you probably should, uh, you probably should give us a call right away and get on that waiting list, get in line, because the line's getting longer by the minute, it sounds like to [00:18:30] me.

Edyta Teper: That is correct. That is correct.

Don't wait.

Rodney George: So the similarities to the cruise industry are. Fairly common, but you've got to step back 50 years or so, right?

So [00:19:00] today you have all these luxurious ships, you have, um, you know, like juror ships and mass market ships. And this was once a niche experience and cruising now, um, you know, has become a global phenomenal. [00:19:15] So. That was 50 years ago. Look at where we are now. Um, so over, you know, the past decade, it has grown from being this exclusive experience to, um, being a mass market [00:19:30] experience, which we think that is, The path that space travel is on.

And now I have a very, uh, good chance of being able to get at least to the edge of space. Someday

Edyta Teper: he's now.

Rodney George: Someday is now, that's right. Yes,

Edyta Teper: that's right. Well, Dita,

That, uh, the City Slickers, the movie [00:20:30] Jack Palatsko's, that one thing, and maybe this is that one thing, uh, that you gotta, gotta do. Add to your bucket list and put it high at the top so that you get this done. Because as I always tell you in closing, [00:20:45] you need to enjoy yourself. Because it's later than you think.

Thanks again for being on the show. Really appreciate it. I'm, I'm so excited to find out so much more about, about Space Perspectives, and you'll be hearing from us soon.

Rodney George: Bye for now.