The Future of Space Tourism, with Taber MacCallum & Jane Poynter (Space Perspective)

Space travel is about to get a lot more accessible. At least, that’s what Space Perspective cofounders and co-CEOs Taber MacCallum and Jane Poynter are saying. The company’s aim is to provide the quintessential astronaut experience to as many people as possible, focusing not on the rocket ride or microgravity, but on the view of Earth from space.In today’s Pathfinder podcast, Mo chats with both Taber and Jane from Space Perspective’s HQ near Cape Canaveral, FL. They discuss:Taber and Jane’s life’s work supporting crewed spacecraftThe origins of Space PerspectiveThe importance of seeing Earth from aboveThe advantages of balloon-based tourismSpace Perspective vs. competitorsThe future of space tourismAnd much more…And much more… This episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters • 00:00 - Intro and SpiderOak Ad 01:15 - Space Perspective overview08:22 - Taber & Jane's background16:53 - The conceptual beginnings of Space Perspective21:05 - Safety systems25:24 - SpiderOak Ad Break26:30 - Pricing, target market, target customer30:50 - First commercial flight?32:02 - The feeling of weightlessness33:20 - Handling anxious clients36:02 - Launch logistics39:40 - Advantages of launching from a ship41:00- Regulatory considerations43:10 - The long-term vision44:30 - A pioneer in the space industry48:15 - StratEx launch54:45 - Who are you taking to space?• Show notes • Space Perspective's website — https://spaceperspective.com/Space Perspective's socials — https://twitter.com/SpacePerspectivDr. Robert Zubrin on "Why Mars?" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S6k2LBJhacMo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us • Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Polaris, our weekly policy publication, hits inboxes Tuesday (https://polaris.payloadspace.com/) 4) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)