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Halo Space, founded in 2021, offers space tourism services and uses balloons instead of rockets or jets. The ticket price is still out of reach for most people and reaches $150 thousand, although the use of balloons itself is much cheaper (and also more environmentally friendly) – for example, Virgin Galactic offers commercial flights for $450 thousand, while Blue Origin for $28 million, and Space X for $55 million
In words, everything works quite simply: a helium balloon lifts the capsule into the stratosphere – to a height of about 30 km above the Earth, and the journey itself will last from 4 to 6 hours.
In total, about 650 people have ever been in space, but Halo Space CEO Carlos Mira has ambitious plans to increase this figure to 10 thousand by 2030 – with a minimum of two flights per week.
The interior of the capsule was designed by Frank Stevenson, known for his work with Ferrari, Maserati and other automakers, but especially remembered for the design of the Fiat 500 and BMW X5. Halo Space has already published the first photos of the interior (via Business Insider), so you can get a little feel for the full scope.
Stevenson says his design firm built its own 1:1 scale model of the capsule to find the best layout. Several different mechanisms were also tested to see how best to arrange nine seats, including one for the pilot.
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Eventually, all the seats were turned towards the huge window to provide the best view (although during takeoff and landing, half of the passengers will be turned inwards).
Stevenson shared sketches of the seat design, showing how much attention was paid to details such as the armrest and adjustable headrest.
The capsule also features fold-down dining trays to maximize space. The downstairs area stores food, hot or cold, and Halo says it will serve whatever the customer desires.
Stevenson said it was also important to maximize the bathroom space:
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“Nobody likes being cramped. Most commercial airliners tend to be very uncomfortable.”
Perhaps the most intriguing plans are for augmented reality – for example, showing different constellations in the sky or places on Earth that the capsule flies over.
In total, the capsule is more than 5 meters wide and 3 meters high.
Halo has conducted five test flights since 2022 and hopes to launch commercial flights as early as 2026. However, you must first be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, and then obtain approvals in other countries.
At the Halo presentation, journalists recalled the OceanGate accident and asked whether this capsule would become “another way of murder for the rich.”
“Safety is our priority,” Mira replied. “We use mature technologies. Balloons have been around for over 200 years.”
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