Don’t Look Down: High-Tech Balloon to Fly Travelers into Space by 2013 CheapOair Staff August 24, 2011 general A conceptual image of the high-tech “Bloon” It seems that space truly is the next frontier for adventure travelers. We told you last week about a Russian firm’s plan to launch the first hotel in outer space by 2013. Now, a Spanish entrepreneur is developing a hi-tech balloon that will carry passengers 22 miles above the Earth’s surface. From such an extreme altitude, about three times as high as commercial jets fly, passengers will be able to see the curvature of the Earth and glimpse the darkness of deep space just above. A highly pressurized cabin will be able to accommodate four passengers at a time in addition to two specially trained pilots. Although the idea sounds straight out of a Pixar movie, developer Jose Lopez-Urdiales insists the science behind his invention is real and less expensive than other companies’ plans for rocket-powered space travel. While that may be the case, passengers will still be hard pressed to find cheap flights to space any time soon. A three-hour galactic cruise in the high-tech “Bloon” will cost roughly $150,000. Although Lopez-Urdiales still has plenty of details to work out, including which country will serve as a home base for the project, he expects the first manned flight to take place in 2013. Source: Daily Mail