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Starting in 2016, World View Enterprises, a space travel company based in Arizona, USA, will begin operating balloon flights, taking participants to the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space at an altitude of 30 km above Earth.
The balloon will be launched to an altitude of 30 km in the atmosphere.
Travelers will be launched into space in a pressurized space capsule called a Voyager, which is lifted by a giant balloon.
The capsule is large enough to carry a crew of eight, including two pilots and six passengers, along with a bar and internet access point. The flight will last approximately two hours, meaning each minute in Voyagers will cost around $625.
Although Voyagers doesn't take passengers to the actual boundary between space and the atmosphere at an altitude of 100 km, passengers can still admire the entire landscape of Earth below.
The Voyager spacecraft will launch from a location in New Mexico. It will be placed in a launch platform, and passengers and crew will climb inside. Helium will be pumped into a balloon made with advanced technology.
The hot air balloon will ascend to an altitude of over 30 km, exceeding 99% of the Earth's atmosphere. There, it will drift for two hours, allowing passengers to admire the surrounding scenery. Afterward, the helium will be released, causing Voyager to gradually descend and return to the ground. The total journey time will be 5 to 6 hours.
The company says the Voyager capsule will offer an experience nearly identical to space travel at an unprecedentedly low price. World View Enterprises' target customers will be educators, researchers, private companies, and government agencies.
