Press Room

World View, a global leader in stratospheric exploration and flight, and Leo Holdings Corp. II (“Leo”) (NYSE: LHC), a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, today announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement that will result in World View becoming a publicly listed company. The transaction values the combined company at an estimated enterprise value of $350 million. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will continue operating as World View.

On the heels of the COP27 climate summit, Scepter, Inc., an emerging company that uses global Earth- and air-based data to measure climate gases and air pollution in real time, has today announced it is set to launch in January a stratospheric balloon enabled with methane-detection sensors in Texas’ Permian Basin, which will gather first-of-its-kind data on methane emissions. Tucson-based stratospheric balloon company World View is working closely with Scepter to bring the balloon capabilities to the mission.

World View, a supplier of balloons that operate at near-space altitudes, and U.S. defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corp. agreed to jointly field uncrewed platforms for stratospheric communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The partnership will allow the companies to pursue new missions by combining SNC’s defense and aerospace integration, payload and mission systems expertise with World View’s high-altitude Earth observation capability.

World View will participate in a panel discussion at SXSW 2023 in collaboration with several authorities in exploration and space travel that explores space tourism as a medium for purposeful travel to experience our planet more fully. The session, Exploring–and Experiencing–Earth via Space Tourism, will take place on Wednesday, March 15, at 4:00 p.m. CDT as part of the conference’s Travel & Leisure track.

World View today announced the appointment of Ian Thomas as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Thomas brings more than 30 years of experience scaling global businesses, including 15 years with The Boeing Company, where he served in a variety of senior leadership roles in the United States (U.S.) and Europe, and then led the company’s operations, successively, in the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and China.

American military and civilian agencies have flown balloons over the U.S. for a growing range of national-security applications, scientific research, intelligence collection and commercial uses, according to industry experts, former officials and government documents. Less known is the extent to which the U.S. has floated balloons over foreign countries, though there are examples in history. In the 1950s during the Cold War, the U.S. flew balloons outfitted with cameras over Soviet airspace, an operation sometimes referred to as Project Moby Dick, before later switching to U-2 spy planes.

As unidentified objects flying over the United States continue to capture the nation’s attention, Morgan dives into the technology behind the stratospheric data-gathering devices with World View CEO Ryan Hartman. Known for their high-altitude balloons, Hartman and Morgan discuss the company’s capabilities, their potential use in the defense sector and the company’s plans to go public later this year.