The Hermes spacecraft will offer two types of commercial space travel for the would-be astronaut:
Hermes Balloon Launch (100,000+ ft)
The first type of space adventure will loft six passengers on three hour ride to 100,000 ft (20 miles) aboard the Hermes spacecraft via a high altitude balloon. Passengers will travel 3.5 times higher than commercial airliners and above 90% of Earth’s atmosphere, a region known well by the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane. At altitude passengers will have the opportunity to look out their “moon-roof”, revealing the curvature of the Earth below and the star-filled black sky above. The Hermes spacecraft will then detach from the balloon and glide back to Earth like the space shuttle. The passenger fare for Hermes balloon launch excursions is expected to start at $50,000 per seat.
Hermes Rocket Launch (328,000+ ft)
The Hermes spacecraft will also offer a rocket-launched adventure by rocketing four passengers on a ballistic, suborbital trajectory over 328,000 ft (62 miles) above the Earth for a 15 minute spaceflight unlike anything they’ve experienced before. The Hermes spacecraft will launch vertically from a mobile or static platform using a hybrid rocket propulsion system. Upon liftoff, passengers will experience roller coaster like acceleration, feeling the rockets thrust behind them. Several minutes later, passengers will be coasting towards space. At altitude passengers will not only earn their astronaut wings but will also have the opportunity to leave their seats and experience the effects of weightlessness. The Earth will fill their view below, and the star-filled sky above. The Hermes spacecraft will then descend and glide to a horizontal landing like the Space Shuttle. The passenger fare for each future astronaut on the Hermes rocket launch adventure is expected to start at $150,000.