You Can Now Use Bitcoin To Experience Zero Gravity, Coinbase Partners With Zero-G

[ad_1]

(Kitco News) – Zero-G is an airline that offers a simulated weightlessness experience to passengers at a fraction of the price compared to others in the space tourism industry. Not only is Zero-G interested in space and science, but the company is now accepting Bitcoin as a payment method for banknotes. Describing the experience of weightlessness, Matt Gohd, CEO of Zero-G, said: “It is the most unique experience a person can have.”

Gohd spoke with Michelle Makori, Senior Presenter and Editor-in-Chief of Kitco News.

Gohd explained why Zero-G offers its customers the option of paying with Bitcoin. “We have partnered with Coinbase to manage the crypto space. Our consumers will be able to buy tickets with Bitcoin to start with, then pay with other cryptos as we become more comfortable with them,” he said. he declares. “Depending on where Bitcoin is in the price cycle, which changes frequently, we may stay a long time for a little while and then turn the rest into cash.”

“But more importantly, it’s about giving our consumers the ability to pay and buy things with the crypto they own,” Gohd added.

Gohd said he sees a convergence with the cryptocurrency space and space tourism. “We have been offering zero-gravity experiences for some time. Our concept is not new, but the adaptation to space tourism is new. The public who are interested in Zero-G are using Bitcoin for their transactions,” a- he stressed. “They would rather go to their digital wallet and send us Bitcoin to buy a ticket, rather than charge it to their credit card.”

The space tourism market is accelerating

Competition from passenger space travel has intensified among new carriers as more and more players have entered the space tourism market. It has grown significantly this year with billionaires Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin, both launching trips to the edge of space with passengers who for the first time were not trained astronauts.

Gohd explained how the space tourism market is broken down into a few pieces. “One is what we call sub-orbital, which rises to the edge of space, not leaving Earth’s orbit,” he said. “They include Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and us Zero Gravity.”

“There’s also World View, which takes you in a balloon about a hundred thousand feet, and Space Perspectives, a similar idea. If you want to do more, there’s Elon Musk’s SpaceX or Axiom, which works closely together. with Musk, ”he continued. . “This award is a little more intimidating. It’s about $ 60 million to visit the International Space Station for about 10 days. And people are doing it.”

The price for the Zero-G experience is $ 7,500 for a ticket, which is much more reasonable than Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX. “At the moment, flying on the Virgin Galactic, a rocket-propelled glider that is dropped from an aircraft at around 50,000 feet, and climbs and descends directly, the cost is $ 450,000,” he said. . “Blue Origin goes straight into a rocket. You’re in a capsule, the capsule separates, you get zero gravity at that point. It’s an experiment of about $ 3-4 million.”

Zero-G is not just fun and games with a big emphasis on science

Referring to William Shatner traveling to space earlier this week, and how fun the experience is – Gohd also spoke about the serious side of the business which is science driven. “As fun as it may be to create this amazing experience where people dream of being an astronaut or what it feels like in space, half of our business is science,” he said. . “We are working closely with big universities and with NASA. Creating experiments in a microgravity environment is very important, because there is no other way but to go to space to see how the fluids react or how solids change in density. And that’s priced a little bit prohibitive. “

“We can create environments on the plane, including what it’s like to be on the moon, which is called lunar gravity. We can bring in a payload with a computer and see how things go. work, ”Gohd added.

For more on Gohd’s take on the space tourism market, please watch the full video above. Follow Michelle Makori on Twitter: @MichelleMakori

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is for informational purposes only. This is not a solicitation to trade in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article accept no responsibility for any loss and / or damage resulting from the use of this publication.

[ad_2]