A company in China is planning to allow people to travel to the edge of space in a balloon, then parachute back down to Earth.
The China Daily reports that Beijing-based JHY Space Technology, or Space Vision, will start testing its equipment in the coming month, and recruiting volunteers to try out the parachutes.
The first three intrepid volunteers have already come forward, including an entrepreneur, a female champion parachutist and an aircraft engineer. Wearing specially-made suits, they will soar into the stratosphere in a high-tech balloon, before jumping out and – hopefully – gliding safely back down to the ground. The altitude the balloons will reach was not revealed.
Jiang Fang, founder & president of Space Vision, told China Daily he hopes the venture will pave the way for more space tourism opportunities.
“We hope to lead the growth of the domestic commercial aerospace sector by starting with space parachuting, and gradually establish a path for the public to travel in the space,” he was quoted saying.
The space parachuting trips will cost around CNY500,000 (US$77,000).
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