Forget expensive rockets that only take you 10 minutes into space. Soon you'll be able to enjoy a leisurely eight-hour flight with cocktails into the stratosphere for a lot less.
Some companies are preparing to take guests. tourism Soar high into the stratosphere in luxury hot air balloons. These balloons come fully equipped with bathrooms, bars and built-in wifi, making them perfect for passengers of all ages and physical abilities.
The highlight here is space travel by balloon would be much cheaper than space travel. Plus, instead of a 10-minute ride on a hypersonic rocket, with about two minutes of floating, a balloon trip would be more like a gentle journey up at about 17km/h, with hours to enjoy the views of the planet.
Tour operators say the round trip takes six hours, going from an altitude of 24 to 32 kilometers into the air. stratosphere will allow passengers to see the curvature of the Earth, the thin blue line of the atmosphere and the vast black sky above.
Currently in the world , there are 3 companies developing such tourism services.
French airline Zephalto is set to launch its first commercial flight in Europe later this year. Starting at $132,000 per person, the six-passenger Céleste will include a dinner with Michelin-starred wines. The balloon will stop at an altitude of 80 miles so that passengers can enjoy their meal while admiring the curvature of the Earth.
The company chose an altitude of 25km “because you are in the darkness of space but without the experience of zero gravity,” says Zephalto founder and aerospace engineer Vincent Farret d'Astiès.
The company has completed three test flights and plans to fly officially later this year. Zephalto's balloon will be certified as a commercial aircraft by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Zephalto plans to conduct 60 flights per year.
Zephalto will offer passengers the opportunity to talk to a psychologist before and after the flight. “You need to prepare yourself psychologically,” says Farret d'Astiès, adding that “seeing the Earth in darkness is an experience that can be emotional.”
According to Zephalto, advance bookings for the first flights from late 2024 to mid-2025 are sold out and they are selling advance bookings from mid-2025 onwards.
Another company that offers a luxury stratospheric experience is Space Perspective, which is based at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
Space Perspective plans to offer $125,000 trips to 20 miles above Earth on its eight-passenger Neptune space balloon starting late next year. The balloon is launched from a craft called the MS Voyager and brought to a stop at the required altitude before being towed by two recovery ships.
Space Perspective is looking to expand its operations worldwide, with the hope that the company will eventually have hundreds of launches per year. The company says it has sold more than 1,200 tickets so far, and passengers will not need any special training or suits.
In addition, World View, a company based in Tucson, Arizona, USA, is offering $50,000 space excursions in hot air balloons with five-day tours departing from one of seven "world wonders" locations, including: the Amazon Rainforest, the Giza pyramids, the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Wall of China.
The balloon will soar to an altitude of about 20 miles. The gentle ride opens up the space to a wider range of ages and physical abilities, according to CEO Ryan Hartman.
Although the balloons will fly about three times higher than a typical commercial airliner, they will still be below the usual boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space - 100km above sea level. Still, that altitude is enough to create the "overview effect", the awe and emotional awe that astronauts report when they see Earth from space.
With the potential to bring new experiences and breathtaking views, hot air balloon travel promises to become an attractive option for those passionate about space exploration in the future.
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