Company officials plan to perform about 10 uncrewed test flights, then send up four or five crewed flights before launching commercial service in 2026.

The Spaceship Neptune-Excelsior performed its first uncrewed test flight soaring to an altitude of 100,000 feet marking a big step toward the Brevard County space tourism company’s march toward its first trip with humans on board next year.

The weekend trip was a success for Space Perspective, the company that already has more than 1,800 people waiting for their chance to take balloon rides in a posh capsule up to the edge of space. The Spaceship Neptune-Excelsior performed its first uncrewed test flight soaring to an altitude of 100,