Traveling to the Edge of Space with Jane Poynter

In today’s episode of the Pathfinder podcast, we’re talking all about a gentler type of suborbital space tourism. In Pathfinder #0026, we sit down with Jane Poynter, the co-CEO and cofounder of Space Perspective. Today’s episode is brought to you by Altek Space (https://www.altek-inc.com/space).

Jane was a member of the Biosphere 2 experiment, spending two years inside a closed ecosystem. She also cofounded Paragon Space Development Corp., which creates life support systems for spacecraft and stations.

Now, she’s working on Space Perspective. The startup has raised nearly $70M to date, is closing in on 100 employees, and aims to launch commercial service in 2024. Space Perspective is selling tickets for $125,000 a pop and its capsule is designed to take a crew of eight (and one pilot) nearly 100,000 ft. above Earth.

*SNEAK PEEK*

This was a fun episode that runs the gamut from controlled environment experiments to breaking the world’s record for highest jump to what one would do if a customer was overserved on a space balloon. Here’s a sample of what we discussed over the course of an hour. We also discuss: 

• Spaceship Neptune’s interior and exterior design 
• Ticket sales; pricing power; and supply and demand 
• The in-cabin amenities and cuisine 
• Recruiting and fundraising 
• Voyager, Space Perspective’s new ship, and how the startup is thinking about spaceport strategy

…plus a whole lot more. You won’t want to miss this wide-ranging conversation.

*ABOUT US*

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1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, every Monday to Friday morning 
2) Pathfinder, this podcast, on Tuesday mornings 
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