Eos-X Space is a company focused on developing advanced space technologies and solutions. They specialize in areas like satellite technology, space exploration, and possibly space-based communications.
Their goal is democratization of space travel.
The Spanish start-up faces strong competition from the likes of UAE-backed Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX, who are all looking to break into space tourism.
However, instead of using rockets, EOS-X Space is promising to take people up in a pressurised capsule, capable of carrying five passengers and one crew member, propelled by a helium balloon, which will rise to an altitude of 40km.
This altitude allows the passengers to have the views of the earth’s curvature, the blackness of space, the blue halo of space as well. While being above 99.9 percent of the atmosphere.
There is no space suit required for the flight, which involves a two-hour ascent phase and an-hour-and-a-half at cruise altitude, before returning back to earth.
The startup is now in the midst of a multi-million dollar investment round led by FTI Capital Advisor, and has secured backing from the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) in the future development of the capsules that will be flying tourists to the edge of space and back to Earth again. As such, now’s a good time to get familiarized with this new vacation proposal for the rich looking to experiment the Overview Effect in person.
EOS-X stands for “Edge Of Space Xperience,” a most fitting name for a company that aims to democratize space tourism by allowing paying customers the chance to travel back and forth to the edge of space. If the idea rings a bell, it’s because it’s not new: there are at least three major companies competing for the honor of being the first to do just that.
EOS-X Space proposes a 5-hour journey: 2 hours for the ascent, which starts at sunrise, 2 hours to hover in place at the edge of space, and another hour for the descent back to a pre-established landing spot. The space balloon will be a helium one, and the capsule will offer an 8-person seating capacity, of whom one will always be a pilot.
Details on the capsule remain scarce as of the time of writing, but renders show a carbon-fiber aircraft not unlike the Spaceship Neptune from Space Perspective, which, as of the time of writing, is in a much more advanced development stage. The EOS-X capsule would also have floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views and presumably a luxurious interior that would warrant comparisons to a sort of space-flying lounge, complete with a bar and a restroom.