This Giant Balloon Will Take You to the Edge of Space—For Just $50,000

CNBC - 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.

WALL STREET JOURNAL - 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.

THE WASHINGTON POST - It’s a risky time to be a balloon. On Feb. 4, the U.S. military shot down a Chinese spy balloon after it veered into American airspace, triggering a diplomatic crisis. In the days since, U.S. officials have shot down a fleet of unidentified objects soaring overhead. At any given moment, thousands of balloons are likely peppering the sky, doing everything from mundane weather monitoring to covert intelligence gathering. Though the technology is centuries old, industrial balloons remain a reliable method for launching items high into the sky quickly at a low cost.