World View Enterprises has opened its new global headquarters campus by Spaceport Tucson in the US, in order to manufacture balloons for travellers willing to explore the stratospheric layer of the Earth's atmosphere.
The new 142,000ft facility will also house the company’s stratocraft assembly, Stratollite and Voyager vehicle development activities, payload integration, and flight mission control activities.
In addition, the facility will feature a stratospheric balloon manufacturing table stretching a 100ft-tall parafoil test and quality control tower currently housing parafoils, as well as a mission control room overlooking the 700ft diameter launch pad of Spaceport Tucson.
World View founder and CEO Jane Poynter said: “World View and Spaceport Tucson are at the forefront of opening an entirely new economy in the stratosphere.
“For decades, trillions of dollars of commerce have been transacted in commercial airspace and in low-Earth orbit, but the stratosphere has been largely ignored.
“With the grand opening of this facility and all the great work being done within its walls, we’re embarking on a new era of affordable and meaningful commercial access to this layer of Earth’s atmosphere.”
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By GlobalDataThe company also noted that its new unmanned Stratollite vehicle is designed to provide a low-cost, long-duration stay in stratosphere.
Stratollite will also be able help researchers gain further knowledge on Earth, as well as help improve people’s ability to identify and track severe weather, and assist first responders during natural disaster.
Similar to a geo-stationary satellite, the vehicle uses World View’s proprietary altitude-control technology to harness the near-360° countervailing stratospheric winds to steer Stratollite to and from desired locations, and loiter above them for weeks and months of time.
