To advance human experience beyond its current limits. Astronauts say seeing the Earth from Space is life-changing, that to see the vast curve of our home planet spread out below us puts everything into perspective. It is silent and still, grand and awe-inspiring. Space is part of our common future, and through it bloon will help awaken consciousness of the unique, fragile beauty of our planet.
Sooner than you think. Bookings made now could lift off as early as 2014 and at the latest in 2015. The exact date of your flight will be determined both by you and the extensive testing program currently underway to certify the system’s safety.
New aircraft, new cars and other complex products often take years to come onstream. Our project is very innovative; to have it operative within five years is an amazing achievement. To us, it is not all that far away - well before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro! One thing is for sure: you are among the first to learn about it.
zero2infinity is the name of the mother company and bloon is her first project.
For many years people have flown to Near-Space in helium balloons until, in 1961, a modified inter-continental missile from the Soviet Union launched Yuri Gagarin into orbit. All the advanced ballooning teams on both sides of the iron curtain were then disbanded or put to work on missile-based access to space. The military usefulness of Near-Space ballooning has not been demonstrated, so there has been little in the way of government funding for innovation in this field. (For further information we suggest the excellent book The Pre-Astronauts: Manned Ballooning to the Edge of Space, US Naval Institute Press.)
We will make every effort to make it as amazing as we can. But let's be very clear on this: life for humans on planet Earth is so amazingly complex and rich -- your child's birth, your mom's cooking, the Alhambra in sunset, among much else. Rest assured that we will work for it to be, at the very least, among the most incredible experiences of your life!
Discretion is important for us. From the moment you contact us we will treat you and all your personal information with the utmost care. No information will be provided about who makes the reservations, what tailored requirements they ask for, or when they fly. We dearly value our customers’ privacy. On the other hand, if you are a corporate customer, or want to use your flight to obtain media exposure, this can be discussed during the reservation process.
The Earth’s atmosphere reaches well beyond ‘low earth orbit’, the altitude where the International Space Station, Shenzhou, the Shuttle and Soyuz orbit. These vehicles have to fire their rockets periodically not to fall because of the atmospheric drag. Although traces of air can still be measured even as high as altitudes of 10,000km, at an altitude of 36km you will have ventured beyond some 99.5% of the mass of the atmosphere.
It depends on how you define the industry. In terms of sustainable Near-Space experiences we are probably the first. Other market offerings that propose a somewhat similar view of Earth are more extreme in their health and training requirements. Although we do not climb as high as others, our experience is the only one that is open to all ages and medical conditions, effectively widening the market.
