Supercar Blondie
These space balloons are designed to transport travelers into orbit and are more than simply a cargo of hot air.
The purpose of Iwaya, a Japanese start-up, is to carry humans to the stratosphere.
These space balloons don’t even require a launch pad or a rocket.
They can reach stratospheric altitudes by employing helium balloons linked to an airtight pod that seats a pilot and a passenger.
Iwaya displayed their T-10 Earther airtight cabin at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo.
The two-seater sphere, which resembles the Saiyan space pods from Dragonball Z, maintains the same air pressure and temperature as it did on Earth throughout the journey.
There are no harsh G forces occurring on the body because it rises gently with helium.
Supercar Blondie
Supercar Blondie
According to Iwaya, this is all part of its ‘Open Space Project,’ in which it collaborates with enterprises from diverse industries to democratize space so that everyone can come.
It claims that the ultimate goal is to live in a world where you may casually ask your friends and family, “hey, do you fancy going to space this weekend?”
But Iwaya does not want to provide customers with a simple day trip.
Keisuke Iwaya, the company’s founder, expects that people will not only enjoy their excursions closer to the stars, but that by widening their perspectives, they will feel a little closer to Earth as well.
It sounds exciting, and perhaps the project will take off.
No pun intended here.
Supercar Blondie
Supercar Blondie
The truth is, despite being well into the twentieth century now, we are barely closer to commercial space travel than we were when Armstrong left his footprints on the moon.
After repeated promises, Virgin Galactic keeps being delayed and pushed back.
And then there’s Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which is still an expensive luxury only for the ultra wealthy.
Hopefully projects like the Iwaya’s space balloons can change that.