Blue Origin announced they will be taking passengers into space as soon as next year and revealed their Shephard capsule which has seats for six paying customers and large windows to give them a grand view.
Test flights will begin this year.
The ‘New Shepard’ capsule’s roomy interior includes seats for six travellers, who will be treated to views from the ‘largest windows in space’. The capsule offers 530 cubic feet (15 cubic metres) of space – large enough for passengers to float freely and turn weightless somersaults.
‘Our New Shepard flight test program is focused on demonstrating the performance and robustness of the system,’ Bezos wrote in an email update. ‘In parallel, we’ve been designing the capsule interior with an eye toward precision engineering, safety, and comfort.’ – Daily Mail
The Shephard space capsule does have an escape system in case of rocket booster failure during ascent. Differing from the traditional escape systems of past space rockets like Apollo and Mercury that had rockets to ‘pull’ the capsule up and away from the rocket, the Shephard’s escape system pushes the capsule up and to the side from underneath.
Watch a Test of the Shephard Crew Capsule Escape System! Amazing!
The price of a ticket has not been announced yet. Are you going to buy a ride?
Featured Image of the interior of the Shephard space capsule by Blue Origin
