SpaceVR wants to make virtual space travel possible

The start-up SpaceVR has devised a way to give everyone who would like to be an astronaut a bit of the feeling of a space trip. The company wants to record images on the International Space Station and then make a virtual reality app.

The intention is to shoot video in 360 degrees with a specially designed camera intended for use on the International Space Station. Some parts for this so-called Overview One have to be made on Earth and launched with a rocket towards the ISS, but other parts can be made on the station itself using a 3D printer. For this, SpaceVR has asked the company Made in Space for help. Ultimately, the 360-degree camera must therefore be assembled on the ISS.

As soon as the Overview One has been assembled on the space station, you can start shooting video images. The images are then sent back to Earth and SpaceVR gets to work building virtual reality videos. These can then be used for various virtual reality glasses, including the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Google’s Cardboard will also be supported. Ultimately, this should therefore create a virtual experience in which it feels to the user as if he or she is staying in the space.

SpaceVR needs money to realize the plans. That is why a Kickstarter campaign is looking for funding. The goal is to raise half a million dollars. If that succeeds, the parts for the camera should be launched sometime this year and the first images should become available next year. If the idea catches on, the company wants to start recording images from other locations in the future, for example from the moon, the planet Mars or from an asteroid.