Per Wimmer – Future Private Space Flight Participance and Space Advocate

Danish entrepreneur and financier Per Wimmer is among the space advocates promoting the future of space tourism.

Future space traveler Per Wimmer visited the Principality of Monaco to deliver a spectacular presentation and share the wonder of private space travel, providing a unique perspective to the audience.

Until the end of the Jacques Delors administration in early 1996, Per Wimmer worked in the cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr. Henning Christophersen, in a junior capacity. The Vice-President´s responsibilities included the Monetary Union and the EU budget.

During 1996-1997, Per Wimmer was an Associate management consultant at McKinsey & Co. with a particular focus in the media sector.

In 1998-2002, prior to founding his London-based corporate advisory firm, he worked in New York City and London for Goldman Sachs, leaving the company as Executive Director for Institutional Sales of European Equity products, advising on investments to Scandinavian-based financial institutions.

In 2002, Wimmer left Goldman Sachs in favor of similar positions at i.a. Collins Stewart and MF Global/Man Securities, the latter of which is part of the world’s largest hedge fund Man Group.

Wimmer owns and administers his own international corporate financial advisory firm, Wimmer Financial, which he founded on the 50th anniversary of Sputnik day, October 4, 2007. Wimmer Financial specializes in global corporate finance, shares trading, real estate and natural resources.

On Oct 6, 2008, Per Wimmer participated in the World’s first tandem skydive above Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, with Ralph Mitchell as tandem master.

“I have always been an adventurer, and in 2000, I became aware that private space was opening up. Very shortly thereafter, I signed up for a trip to space, started my space training soon after, and I have been a passionate space enthusiast ever since.”

Per is a founding astronaut with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, a company that was the first choice of many Monaco residents, including Namira Salim and Vasily Klyukin.

Per had such a deep desire to travel to space that in 2001, he made a reservation with Space Adventures, a space tourism company offering zero-gravity atmospheric flights, orbital spaceflights, and other spaceflight-related experiences, including cosmonaut training, spacewalk training, and launch tours.

On December 4, 2008, Per held a ticket to be the first astronaut on board the XCOR Lynx rocketplane. Unfortunately, XCOR Aerospace filed for bankruptcy after failing to find an investor.

What inspired you to become a space traveler, and how did you prepare for your journey?

“I am hugely inspired by the Apollo astronauts and have had the privilege of meeting some of them, including Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins, Alan Bean, Charlie Duke, Gene Cernan. 

Over the past decade, I have spent quite a bit of time with Buzz, where I could listen for hours about his trip to the Moon on Apollo 11 and his ideas about getting to Mars. 

Furthermore, I visited Alan Bean at his home in Houston, where he showed me his inspiring and beautiful space artwork . 

Last December, I flew a Zero-G training flight with Charlie Duke. I asked him for his best advice for my upcoming trip to space. He said: “Don’t forget to look out of the god damn window…!!” I will cherish that advice from an incredibly inspiring astronaut who has been there…”

When will be your Virgin Galactic flight?

“In 2024, if everything goes according to the plan.”

What advice would you give to individuals who aspire to become space travelers in the future?

“Pursue your dreams, no matter how high or how ambitious they are. Aim high. Think out of the box. Follow your heart and your passion. Be authentic and have fun living out your dreams.”

Do you think that space tourism helps to accelerate the industry?

“Private space travel has huge potential to accelerate the interest in space and sciences in schools across the world and, thereby stimulating a great science interest for young children around the world. 

Furthermore, given the revenue opportunities that private space entails, this attracts increasingly larger amounts of private capital; thereby promoting innovation, cheaper access to space and further developments in areas such as medical sciences, telecommunication and much more with great benefits to life on Earth.”

Do you think the ELEVATE Space & Sustainability Conference can help people to understand better space technology and sustainability?

“Yes absolutely. The ELEVATE conference covered many areas within space and had some excellent presenters with great insights from the space sector, both public and private.”

Did you like the audience questions at ELEVATE?

“Yes, that ELEVATE audience was great and engaging. I could hardly leave the stage since I got overwhelmed by members from the audience wanting to take selfies and others with many follow up questions, thereby showing a strong and engaging interest in the presentation.”

What would you suggest to someone uninterested in space?

“In my experience, most people have a curiosity and fascination with what is going on in space. This is reinforced when they meet astronauts. For the smaller minority of people who are less interested in space, I would suggest reading and learning a bit about the importance, innovation and the benefits space can bring for life on Earth.”

Can you share any plans or dreams for future space missions or endeavors?

“For now, I am very focused on my trip to space in 2024. Thereafter, my quest for more space will continue……ad astra….!”

In September 2011, Per Wimmer published the book “Wall Street”, about the bubbles in the financial markets, with anecdotes from his career in the world of global finance. In June 2014 he published his second book “The Green Bubble” in Sweden for the think tank Timbro, which argues there is a green bubble in the renewable energy sector.

Since then, he has published countless new books, but Per says his absolute favorite one is called “The Sky Is No Limit”, a book about his personal journey towards space.

Read the full and illustrated interview in the Winter 2023 edition of the Living in Monaco, the Monaco Residents’ Magazine.