Mercedes-Maybach is back in the Blimp Business

Lighter-than-air craft will take passengers to 100,000 feet, then float gently back down.

“Mercedes-Maybach is partnering with Space Perspective, the world’s first and only carbon-neutral spaceflight experience company,” Maybach announced this morning.
Specifically, Mercedes-Maybach vehicles will transport space passengers on the ground on their way to their balloon flights. Beyond that, Maybach’s role in the venture is unclear.

“Our partnership with Space Perspective will allow space explorers to ride in style on the ground, and for us to extend the highest level of Maybach refinement and brand experience to the edge of space,” said Daniel Lescow, head of Mercedes-Maybach.
The Space Perspective craft is named Spaceship Neptune, consisting of a pressurized capsule that hangs beneath a hydrogen-filled balloon that “offers a safe and transformative six-hour journey to the edge of space.”
Eight passengers will ascend in the roomy and luxurious capsule over the course of six hours. They’ll stay up there a while, then descend back to Earth, gently splashing down in the sea.

“Those who fly with Space Perspective, which is being regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration and follows guidelines established by NASA and the US Coast Guard, enjoy unprecedented views of our planet through the largest windows ever flown to space, a world-class meal and cocktail service, Wi-Fi, and lavatory—all from the comforts of the world’s first Space Lounge.”
The company was founded by two graduates of Biosphere 2—Jayne Poynter and Taber MacCallum. The pair cofounded Paragon Space Development Corporation, “which develops tech for environmental control systems that, for example, can be found on the International Space Station.”