VESSEL REFIT | Voyager – Ex-platform supplier now used for space capsule launch and recovery

Space Perspective, a privately-owned space travel company based in Florida, has begun operating a sea-going spacecraft launch and recovery base. The vessel has been named Voyager as a homage to the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes launched by NASA in the late 1970s.

The 294- by 56-foot (89.6- by 17-metre), 3,094DWT mobile platform was originally built in 2003 as a Jones Act-compliant platform supply vessel (PSV) to support activities in the US offshore energy industry. The PSV known as C-Challenger was acquired from Edison Chouest Offshore in November 2022, and the work to convert it into what Space Perspective calls a marine spaceport was subsequently undertaken at Conrad Shipyard in Amelia, Louisiana.

Voyager will be homeported in Port Canaveral in Florida and its operations will be supported by Guice Offshore with certification by the US Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping. It is the first in a planned fleet of marine spaceports, which Space Perspective intends to deploy to other regions such as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Fitted with innovative capsule handling gear

The space tourists will be housed in 16 staterooms during transits to and from launch sites. Other onboard facilities include toilets, offices, a lounge, a hospital, and walk-in coolers and freezers. The vessel retains its two Caterpillar 3516 main engines, which drive azimuthing thrusters to deliver a maximum speed of 13 knots and a cruising speed of 10 knots.

The modifications to the vessel include retrofitting of the propulsion system to enable the use of low-carbon biofuel, reconfiguring the open aft deck to accommodate Space Perspective’s proprietary launch system, and installation of a custom-built A-frame for the recovery of crewed capsules upon splashdown (unlike other space tourism companies that use rockets to launch crewed capsules towards higher altitudes, Space Perspective uses large balloons filled with hydrogen, resulting in a slower, gentler ascent without the high G-forces that place tremendous strain on the human body).

First in a planned fleet of marine spaceports

As a marine spaceport, Voyager can create ideal launch conditions in two ways: by navigating to areas of good weather, which allows for year-round operations within a region, and by moving with the sea breeze, so that there will be no wind blowing across the deck. This enables more frequent launch opportunities, as well as more options for the time of day, including sunrise and sunset nighttime stargazing flights.

When a pressurised capsule returns to Earth following a six-hour journey in space by descending gently into the water, fast boats will arrive to stabilise the capsule before lifting it onto the open aft deck of Voyager using the latter’s custom-built A-frame. Space Perspective expects this process will take no more than 20 minutes from splashdown to disembarkation out of the capsule onto the deck.

The other key onboard equipment includes two Furuno radars, anti-roll tanks, VHF radios, and a firefighting monitor that can discharge up to 5,280 gallons (20,000 litres) per minute.

Earlier this year, Voyager supported Space Perspective’s first full flight of its Space Neptune-Excelsior test vehicle. The flight was launched from the vessel while it was off the coast of Florida. The test vehicle, which had no passengers, reached an altitude of 100,000 feet (30,000 metres) before returning to Earth six hours later, being promptly picked up and brought aboard the marine spaceport shortly afterwards.