TIFR aces test flight for Spanish space tourism firm from its Hyderabad balloon facility

The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), on December 13, announced the success of a test flight carried out at its facility by Spanish space tourism firm HALO space. The Madrid-based company is developing capsules that would be suspended on a large inflatable balloon to offer a six-hour ride to tourists to the edge of space. 

The TIFR tested the plastic balloon designed and fabricated by the university experts at its balloon facility in Hyderabad on December 7. According to the institution, the TIFR Balloon Facility in Hyderabad is the technical collaborator of Halo Space for the purpose of designing and fabricating the balloon, launching the space capsule to stratospheric altitudes and its safe recovery after the termination of the balloon flight.

The test flight

(Balloon inflated during test flight; Image: TIFR)

(HALO Space Capsule on the launch arm before the launch)

On December 7, the balloon having a volume of 286,652 cubic metres was launched at 5:45 am IST with an unmanned capsule weighing roughly 620 kg as suspended payload. The telemetry and tele-command packages for two-way communication between the ground station, the capsule and a GPS module for live tracking of the space capsule were also tested. 

The balloon reached a maximum altitude of 36.9 kms, 155 minutes after launch, and was allowed to float at this altitude for 40 minutes and was automatically terminated by the on-board programmable timer. The space capsule then safely descended in a vacant land near the Mogiligundla village of Vikarabad in Telagana, following which the recovery team dismantled the capsule after recovery and transported it back to the balloon facility.

"This collaboration with M/s. HALO Space, Spain, will now move into the second phase for supply of larger zero pressure plastic balloons to ultimately conduct manned space tourism Balloon Flights to near space environments from Spain and other countries", the TIFR said in an official statement.

"All the balloon flight operations were carried out with the prior permissions from Airports Authority of India (AAI), Air Traffic Controller (ATC), Shamshabad and with the cooperation of the Telangana & Andhra Pradesh Police and State Government Administrations", it further said.

Founded in 2016, HALO space is planning to offer commercial flights starting 2029. Its space capsule is capable of carrying six to eight passengers and the price of each ticket of the flight has been fixed at Rs 1.64 crore. According to HALO space, the passengers will be able to admire the curvature of the Earth from a maximum altitude of 40 km in a flight which would be fully zero-emission.