Space Perspective, a company that sought to revolutionize space tourism by offering high-altitude balloon rides to the edge of space, appears to have come to a halt after facing severe financial challenges. The space tourism venture, which had ambitious plans to send passengers into the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere using a giant balloon, has seen its operations come to a standstill, following its eviction from a Florida airport due to unpaid rent.
The Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority, which manages Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, initiated eviction proceedings after Space Perspective owed $90,295 in unpaid rent for three leased properties, including a hangar. Despite efforts to address the overdue payments, the company was officially evicted in March, marking a significant setback for its grand plans. While the company’s website remains live and continues to accept bookings, all other signs of active operation have largely disappeared. Space Perspective’s phone number has been disconnected, and there has been no social media activity since December, leaving many to wonder about the company’s future.
In court documents, it was revealed that the company had a history of making late payments, only to partially settle the outstanding amounts over time. This pattern of financial instability persisted, leading to a judgment from the Brevard County circuit court that allowed for the company’s eviction. Michael Savage, the interim CEO, confirmed in a letter to the court that the company’s financial situation had not improved and expressed an intention to vacate the premises as efficiently as possible.
Travel agencies with partnerships to promote Space Perspective’s space tourism services, such as Signature Travel Network, were also left in the dark. According to Heidi Podjavorsek, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Signature, the lack of communication from Space Perspective raised significant concerns within the travel industry. Although Signature had a preferred-supplier deal with the company, representatives of Space Perspective had not communicated directly, even after former employees contacted the network in January to inform them of their layoffs. The lack of transparency prompted Signature to advise its members to inform clients who had made deposits about potential concerns regarding the company’s future. While some clients who had paid via credit card could dispute their charges, others who paid through wire transfers are left waiting to recover their funds from escrow.
The situation was equally troubling for Global Travel Collection, a luxury travel agency that had secured seats for clients on Space Perspective’s Spaceship Neptune capsule. Although the company had made an initial deposit for four pods with 32 seats, no client funds were lost, as no money had been transferred to Space Perspective. Global Travel Collection president, Angie Licea, expressed disappointment over the closure but stated that the agency remained committed to exploring new frontiers in travel, in the hopes that other, more reliable opportunities might arise in the future.
Beyond these financial struggles, Space Perspective is facing legal action from other landlords, including Space Florida at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, and North Dow in Melbourne, Florida. In total, the company owes at least $108,850 in unpaid rent for various spaces used for its operations. As the company faces these mounting legal and financial issues, the once-promising space tourism venture seems to be fading into the background.
Space Perspective had originally priced its flights on the Spaceship Neptune capsule at $125,000 per person, offering passengers the chance to ascend 100,000 feet above the Earth, float at that height for two hours, and then descend back to the ocean below. While test flights had been carried out successfully, and the company had initially hoped to begin commercial flights in 2026, the road ahead for this space tourism venture now seems uncertain. With over 1,600 reservations made, the future of Space Perspective is unclear, leaving many questioning whether it will ever be able to fulfill its lofty ambitions.
