Halo Space assembles first capsule prototype

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The space tourism startup Halo Space has completed fabrication and assembly of its first prototype capsule.

The capsule has now been disassembled and it’s in transit to Hyderabad, India, home of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), where it will undergo its first test flight next month. The first flight, without crew, will be used to collect data about the capsule, the stratosphere and the navigation system. Its first liftoff will achieve a maximum altitude of 40km into the stratosphere, a journey that will last approximately six hours.

This prototype, with a capacity for nine people (eight passengers plus the pilot), weighs 800kg, 5m wide and 3.5 meters high. It is made up of eight segments designed like an orange, attached to a base and a roof.

The firm wants to become the go-to in the near-space aerospace tourism sector (up to a maximum altitude of 40 km) and has set itself the target of making 400 commercial trips and carrying 3,000 passengers a year from 2029 onwards. Ticket prices will be between $100,000 to $200,000.

Carlos Mira, founder and CEO, Halo Space, said: “We are working according to the roadmap we have set. With the manufacture of the capsule, we have succeeded in completing a very important milestone in our plan. We have already succeeded in bringing the project to fruition. Next month we will reach another very important milestone: our first test flight.

The Balloon Facility, Halo’s partner, at TIFR has successfully launched more than 500 scientific balloons.

Alberto Castrillo, chief technology officer, Halo Space said: “The first milestones of projects of this importance are always complicated. But we have managed to manufacture and assemble this prototype capsule in a timely manner. It only resembles the final capsule in the shape it has, but the information that the first test flight will give us will be fundamental for the evolution of the project and navigation at various altitudes.

After this first flight in India, Halo has chosen Spain for its second test flight.

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