Too Poor for Space? Ballooning to the Stratosphere is the Next Best Thing

World View, an established high-altitude balloon firm in Tucson, Arizona hopes to spread the transcendence of the "Overview Effect" to more people through views at much lower prices via high-tech ballooning to the stratosphere, a section of the atmosphere still well below space but beyond commercial flights.

With the global space tourism market projected to grow by hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars during the next decade, World View is tapping an expanding thirst for space-like experiences—akin to ZeroG’s $8,200 parabolic flights that simulate weightlessness—that offer aspects of the real deal. And since balloon travel doesn’t pose the same risks or demand the training, g-forces, or physical endurance as a rocket launch, it accommodates more elderly, disabled, and medically challenged patrons. Plus, they serve cocktails on the way.

On the ground, World View plans to model its environmental messaging by aligning with ecology initiatives and recycling their single-use balloons. World View is partnering with foresters One Tree Planted and designating some balloon recycling for greenhouses growing new trees. (It also hired actor and environmental activist Adrian Grenier as a sustainability strategist.)

“We have to do our own part,” says World View CEO Ryan Hartman. “Our goal is to become climate positive. If we are to contribute to a radically improved future, we need to be consuming more CO2 than we’re producing.”

World View’s Explorer will use helium to launch from its spaceport near the Grand Canyon. After its craft lowers into the thicker atmosphere, it will trade its balloon for steerable parachute-like parafoils to glide back to its launchpad while a team recovers the balloon. World View will deploy backup parachutes for emergencies.

For its $50,000 price tag, World View—whose capsule design sports a futuristic, Jetson’s-esque appeal—wants to first immerse guests in the surrounding area through hikes and visits to better trigger the overview effect—a decided approach after an undisclosed astronaut told Hartman she didn’t feel that sense of awe until she flew over her home region.

“The overview effect is appreciated most when you see something you recognize and connect to,” Hartman says.

‍READ MORE