A Spanish company, Zero 2 Infinity, offers tourists trips to the edge of space to see the Earth from above, all from the comfort of a small capsule, Whacky .
Space tourism sees new low-cost horizons: up to four passengers will be able to see the blue planet from above in an evocative five-hour journey, at a maximum altitude of 40 km from the ground. To give you an idea: commercial flights fly at around 10 km altitude.
Bloon, space tourism in the "hot air balloon" of the third millennium
The capsule Whacky of Zero 2 Infinity lifts off from one of the company's launch sites, most likely from its home country of Spain. Details on this new form of space tourism are still being finalized.
In any case, everything will be entrusted to large helium balloons. A "travel" version of the (disused?) balloons Google Loon.
By giving up on expensive rockets and with much leaner technology, the Spanish company promises space tourism to become significantly more accessible. Even if it's not really retail prices: each trip will cost around 120.000 euros per passenger, the site reports Science times.
The journey on Bloon
Two pilots will be on board for each leg. The journey seems seamless, as the pod detaches from the balloon and deploys a parafoil parachute to enjoy its gentle hour-long descent to Earth, offering a different perspective of our planet along the way, as well as the chance to see how black the space.
Depending on wind conditions, the pod will land safely within a 1300 kilometer radius of the launch site, with company officials ready to collect everyone and everything.
The first tests for balloon-based space tourism date back to 2017: in 2021 the latest and most convincing one also used a humanoid robot inside. The balloon rose to a height of 36 kilometers and came back down with Olympic calm and a perfect landing.
When they will be ready?
As mentioned, precise details on the availability of the first trips to the public were not disclosed. By the end of the year, however, there will be the first tests with real people. Word of Jose Mariano Lopez Urdiales, a veteran of the ad helium in the space.
