Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex – one of the most popular tourist attractions in Florida – is offering visitors the chance to replicate the historic space journey made by musician Katy Perry earlier this week.
On Monday 14, Katy Perry and five other pioneering women successfully journeyed to the edge of space on a rocket made by Blue Origin, on the first all-female trip to space in more than six decades.
For those inspired by the launch, but without the means or mettle to do the real thing, Florida’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has the very best experience of the incredible journey to the Kármán Line, without the need to leave the comfort and gravity of earth. Best of all, the experience is included with admission, and certainly doesn’t have a price tag for millionaires only.
Ms Perry, along with former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn & journalist Lauren Sanchez, crossed the internationally recognised boundary of space on the autonomous the “New Shepard” rocket and capsule, made by Blue Origin, the private space firm owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The flight, which launched from West Texas, took the crew to around 106km above the Kármán Line, before re-entering the atmosphere as the capsule parachuted to the desert floor.
Closer to home, and without the bump back to earth, guests at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex can enter a near-perfect replica of the New Shepard capsule, located in Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex®, on a breathtaking VR journey beyond the Kármán Line.
Developed in close collaboration with scientists, engineers and producers, the immersive virtual reality experience uses actual data and imagery to authentically mimic the voyage to space, and back home again. By leveraging cutting-edge VR technology, including high-resolution graphics and advanced hand and motion tracking, the capsule ensures a deeply immersive experience that’s also visually beautiful. Blue Origin’s interactive exhibit opened at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in December 2023.
To allow those who can’t physically enter the capsule on their own to have the same launch experience, the capsule includes an accessible flight seat and VR headset external to the capsule.
The New Shepard experience is included with admission, but a time should be booked via the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex app or via a QR code on arrival at the visitor complex.
At Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, less than 1 hour from Orlando, guests can go beyond their imagination and discover something real. From the dawn of space exploration, to current and ongoing missions, visitors can get a hands-on feel for the story of humans in space. Guests of all ages will love getting up-close to real flight flown artifacts, going on inter-stellar VR and simulator experiences, meeting a veteran NASA astronaut, and discover so much more.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens daily at 9am, with closing times varying by season. Single-day admission is $75 per adult, $65 per child. A two-day ticket is available for $89 per adult and $79 per child. For more information on Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and to book tickets, please go to www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
