Stratospheric balloons are cheaper and easier to build than rockets and spaceplanes. They can offer hours of magnificent views of the Earth from within a comfy space capsule. But something has been holding their developers back.
This space race has been unfolding largely away from the spotlight. While the attention of global media has been fixated on the likes of Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin and their rocket-powered rides to the edge of space, a handful of companies have been working in the background to offer a more affordable alternative to space tourism, suitable for those with weaker stomachs and in less robust health than required to fly a rocket.
Using helium- or hydrogen-filled balloons, these firms want to fly paying passengers to altitudes of over 30km. There, above 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere, the sky overhead appears black, and the curvature of the planet underneath arises wrapped in the luminescent shroud of the troposphere. Drop the balloon and let the capsule freefall...