French company Zephalto is now offering balloon flights to the stratosphere, with tourists able to reserve their spots starting in 2025. The start-up has developed the balloons in collaboration with the French space agency, Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES). The 120,000 euro trips can be reserved with a 10,000 euro deposit on the company’s booking page. Zephalto plans to offer 60 balloon flights per year, with only six tourists on each flight. The balloons will be filled with helium or hydrogen and will be piloted by two people, reaching a height of 25 kilometers. The ascent will take around 90 minutes, with the balloon remaining at the highest point for three hours before beginning the 90-minute descent. The entire trip will last six hours.
Zephalto’s balloons will offer tourists a view that is typically reserved for astronauts, with the balloons reaching a height that is beyond the range of conventional passenger planes. The company will also offer its customers the best of French hospitality, including exquisite food and wine. The balloons will take off from France and land on land, unlike its American competitor. The experience will not offer weightlessness, but it will provide a similar experience to being in space. The company’s CEO, Farret d’Astiès, said that the balloons were developed in collaboration with CNES, and that the company had worked on the concept together with the French space agency.
Zephalto’s balloon flights offer a unique and exciting opportunity for tourists to experience the stratosphere. The company’s collaboration with CNES ensures that the balloons are safe and reliable, and the experience will be one that is sure to be unforgettable. While the cost of the trip may be prohibitive for some, those who can afford it will be treated to an experience that is truly out of this world.
