Mercedes-Maybach Brings Luxury To Space Tourism

Mercedes-Maybach has partnered with space tourism company Space Perspective to provide its expertise in crafting the interior of an upcoming space capsule.

Like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, Space Perspective aims to offer rich individuals the opportunity to travel to the edge of space. Unlike those two, Space Perspective will use a pressurized capsule that is pulled 100,000 feet into the sky by a SpaceBalloon over a period of two hours. A ticket will start at $125,000 and the company wants to ensure its ‘Explorers’ can enjoy a luxurious and safe experience.

The company’s partnership with Mercedes-Maybach will first involve the car manufacturer’s all-electric vehicles being used to shuttle guests to and from Space Perspective facilities at the launch site on Florida’s Space Coast. Mercedes-Maybach is also in talks to provide further design and hospitality integrations with Space Perspective. During an interview with Motor Trend, Mercedes-Maybach head Danel Lescow said this will culminate in the interior design of the space capsule.

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“We are exploring different elements of the journey and how we can make that most convenient and bring most of the Maybach experience to the voyage,” Lescow said. “Eventually that will accumulate into Maybach being involved in the interior design of the capsule.”

The capsule with feature a customizable cabin that can accommodate eight Explorers and a captain. It will include luxurious recliners and even a meal and cocktail service at 100,000 feet. Guests will sit at the edge of space for two hours before descending back to the ground over a two-hour period. The capsule will even offer Wi-Fi and a bathroom and include the largest windows ever flown to space.

“Pairing our all-electric Spaceship Neptune with the all-electric Mercedes-Maybach represents a sustainable and inspiration-filled future, not to mention a heightened overall experience for Space Perspective Explorers,” founder and co-chief executive of Space Perspective Kane Poynter said.

Crewed test flights are scheduled to begin next year with the first commercial flights expected to start at the end of 2024.