The French company offers a Michelin-Star meal at 15.5 miles above the earth-for $ 130,000

Zephalto plans to launch its first flights at the end of 2024.


Almost we all dreamed of going to space when I was a child: the thought of Explore the stars And the planets in an inflated astronaut costume were really exhilarating. As they get older and realize the enormity of space, your dreams may have moved to careers and more anchored experiences. But if you are still waiting for a trip above the earth, this is now a possibility. As CNN Travel reported, for $ 130,000, a French company called Zephalto will take you 15.5 miles in the sky , and use a Michelin-Star meal. Read more to find out more about this new space tourist experience.

Read this then: Ancient Danger! Field was supposed to do a submersible Titanic tour .

You will be more than 98% of the earth's atmosphere.

man inside zephalto celeste balloon
Zéphalto

According to the company's website, Zephalto offers a " Low carbon trip to space "From next year.

Passengers will travel to a capsule, named Céleste, which is raised by a stratospheric ball (mainly a large hot air balloon). The capsule amounts to about 15.5 miles above the earth at its peak. It's much higher than a plane, but it's not exactly Cosmos , which begins between 50 and 62 miles above the earth, according to the experts you ask.

"We choose 25 kilometers [15.5 miles] high because it is the altitude where you are in the darkness of space, with 98% of the atmosphere below you, so that you can enjoy of the curvature of the earth in the blue line. You are the Darkness of space , but without the Zero Gravity experience, "founder of the company Vincent Farret Astiès said Bloomberg.

The six -hour trip will be a memorable experience, but it will cost you.

fine dining
Michael Berlfein / Shutterstock

The trip lasts a total of six hours (1.5 hours for the ascent, three hours in the sky and 1.5 hours for descent), according to the Zephalto website. Meanwhile, passengers can relax in one of the three cabins and "be surprised by the beauty of our planet".

"The view and global trip remain at the center of the offer, allowing customers to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of their environment", " Farret d'Asties told CNN Travel.

In addition to taking the views of the earth, passengers are also invited to taste fine dishes and drinks. However, in April, CNN Travel reported that the chiefs had not been announced, and the company wants them to "exercise their creative license and ensure the possibility of personalizing customer experience to offer something that is refined and high ".

This means that it will be up to the discretion of the chief if the meals are served in the air or before takeoff.

You seem good to you? Zephalto offers the possibility of pre-a book for about $ 10,900, the whole trip aboard heaven totaling around $ 131,100. The first flights are expected to take off from France at the end of 2024, the company told CNN Travel, but pre-reservation tickets are already sold for trips scheduled for mid-2025.

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The expensive trip can be mentally difficult.

view from zephalto celeste balloon
Zéphalto

Although there is no age requirement or training required to reserve your flight, the company offers something interesting with the cost of your ticket: the possibility of talking to a psychologist.

"You need psychological preparation. We know of the 600 people who [exceeded] this altitude that seeing the earth in the dark is an experience that can be emotional," Farret d'Astiès in Bloomberg told.

Seeing the planet from this point of view can be difficult to absorb, reported the point of sale, citing Star Trek actor William Shatner 2021 Flight in suborbital spaces with the company Aerospace Blue Origin. Shatner said Variety this look at the earth from above "fills him with overwhelming . ""

Several companies are in the process of daring tourism.

star ship in space
Paopano / Shutterstock

Believe it or not, Zephalto is not the only company to invest in "space tourism". The CNN trip points to other large companies, including the aforementioned blue origin and Elon Musk SpaceX, who hopes to take tourists all around the moon. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

At the other end of the spectrum - literally - the attention was hyper concentrated on tourism on the high seas this week, after the submersible oceangate disappeared during an excursion to see the wreck of the Titanic. As with travel aboard the celestial, the trips announced by Oceangate cost passengers a nice penny, totaling $ 250,000.

Questions about Safety of the Oceangate ship , the Titan, dates back to 2018. On June 22, the ship was discovered in have imploded , with all the passengers on board killed.

According to Bloomberg, Zephalto will have to meet certain security requirements before takeoff, and the balloon propelled by helium will have to obtain European Aviation Safety Certification (EASA), just like a commercial plane.

Last month, Zephalto finished three test flights, although none reached the full distance of 15.5 miles. A test planned for later in 2023 should perform the full trip.


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