News This Space Company Will Offer Stratospheric Balloon Flights 15 Miles Above Earth by 2025 The six-hour ride will start at $132,000 per person. By Alison Fox Alison Fox Instagram Twitter Alison Fox is a Travel + Leisure contributor. She has also written for Parents.com, The Wall Street Journal, and amNewYork. When she’s not in New York City, she can be found at the beach or on the slopes. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on April 24, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email A French space company wants to send travelers into the stratosphere in a low-carbon balloon. The company, Zephalto, plans to fly 60 flights a year containing six passengers each, Bloomberg reported. The six-hour rides, which will start at €120,000 (about $132,000) per person, are expected to take off in 2025 and include an over-the-top experience with good wine and delicious food. Courtesy of Zephalto “I partnered with the French space agency, and we worked on the concept of the balloon together,” Zephalto founder Vincent Farret d’Astiès told Bloomberg. The experience will start with a 90-minute ascent, rising at a speed of 13 feet per second, according to the company. Passengers will then spend three hours in the stratosphere at an altitude of 15.5 miles before slowly descending back to Earth. All flights will depart from France. Courtesy of Zephalto Space doesn’t officially start until at least 50 miles above the Earth's mean sea level, according to NASA. Others say it doesn’t really start until the Kármán line, which sits at an altitude of 62 miles. “We choose [15.5 miles] high because it’s the altitude where you are in the darkness of space, with 98% of the atmosphere below you, so you can enjoy the curvature of the Earth in the blue line,” Farret d’Astiès told Bloomberg. “You’re in the darkness of space, but without the zero gravity experience.” Courtesy of Zephalto The company’s stratospheric balloons, which it calls “the most pristine spaceship of the 21st century,” produce just 26.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide. Zephalto is not the only company bringing passenger travel to space. A company called Space Perspective plans to bring travelers to see the stars in a carbon-neutral spherical capsule with 360-degree views by 2024. Companies like Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic have already taken passengers into space. And travelers looking to stay in space even longer may also soon be able to spend the night when the Orbital Assembly's Voyager Station finally opens. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit