Tag: stratosphere
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Space Perspective reboots vision of flying passengers to stratosphere on a balloon
Space Perspective’s balloon-borne capsule, known as Spaceship Neptune, would provide a wide-angle view of the Florida coastline. (Space Perspective Illustration) The space entrepreneurs who planned to send passengers ballooning into the stratosphere for astronaut’s-eye views of the Earth below, way back in 2013, have revived the idea for a new venture called Space Perspective. Co-CEOs…
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Up, up and away: NetMotion sends a Skype connection into the stratosphere
The curving Earth and the black sky of space serve as the backdrop for NetMotion Software’s balloon-borne contraption, outfitted with an iPad that maintained a Skype connection at an altitude of 85,000 feet. (NetMotion Software via YouTube) What’s the best way to show off your mobile networking technology? How about demonstrating that the technology can…
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Former Insitu CEO makes the leap over to World View stratospheric balloon venture
An artist’s conception shows World View’s Stratollite platform in action. (World View Illustration) For three and a half years, Ryan Hartman served as president and CEO of Insitu — the Boeing subsidiary headquartered in Bingen, Wash., that pioneered the creation of unmanned aircraft systems for military and commercial applications. Now Hartman will raise his sights as…
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Investors provide a $26.5M lift for World View stratospheric balloon venture
News Brief: Arizona-based World View says it has closed a $26.5 million Series C financing round, led by Accel with participation from previous investors Canaan and Norwest Venture Partners. The funding will help World View accelerate work on its Stratollite system, a low-cost, balloon-borne platform that can provide satellite-type services. World View also says it…
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World View balloon goes boom after Spaceport Tucson test; no injuries reported
News Brief: A high-altitude balloon reportedly exploded at Spaceport Tucson in Arizona today after a test that was being conducted by World View Enterprises. No injuries were reported, but the loud boom shook up residents in the surrounding area. The Arizona Daily Star quoted World View spokesman Andrew Antonio as saying that the tethered balloon…
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World View unveils first pictures from its Stratollite high-altitude balloon platform
A photo shows how World View’s Stratollite balloon-borne platform could keep watch on a commercial facility from a stratospheric vantage point. The inset shows a passing airplane. (World View Enterprises Photo) World View Enterprises’ first near-space pictures demonstrate how the Arizona company’s balloon-based imaging platform can rival satellite views. The photos were released today in…
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World View completes five-day test flight for ‘Stratollite’ high-altitude balloon
World View’s Stratollite test balloon rises from Spaceport Tucson. (World View Photo) World View Enterprises has executed its longest stratospheric balloon flight ever, steering a solar-powered payload through five days’ worth of testing at altitudes in excess of 55,000 feet. The high-altitude outing marked the Arizona-based company’s first launch from Spaceport Tucson, and a significant…
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World View launches ‘Stratollite’ balloon from Spaceport Tucson for the first time
A high-altitude balloon is inflated in preparation for World View’s launch from Spaceport Tucson in Arizona. (World View Photo) World View Enterprises today executed its first balloon liftoff from Spaceport Tucson, the Arizona facility that it expects will be the home base for satellite-like “Stratollite” missions to the stratosphere — and, eventually, tourist flights as…
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Seattle’s space sisters get great views (and learn lessons) from eclipse balloon flight
The moon’s shadow can be seen in the background of this picture taken by a camera on the Yeung sisters’ Loki Lego Launcher. A picture of the Yeung family’s late cat, Loki, and a Lego minifigure of Amelia Earhart take up the foreground. (Rebecca and Kimberly Yeung Photo) Not everything turned out the way pre-teen…
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World View downs KFC’s stratospheric chicken sandwich early due to balloon leak
World View Enterprises said its “Zinger 1” mission to keep a KFC chicken sandwich aloft in the stratosphere was terminated earlier than planned, due to a small leak in an altitude-control balloon system on its Stratollite platform. The company’s CEO, Jane Poynter, said today in a statement that the payload was brought down about 17…