World View Enterprises

Arizona-based World View Enterprises designs and manufactures stratospheric balloons through which it takes high-resolution photos of Earth for scientific, government, and commercial organizations. Its World View Stratollite is a remotely operated stratospheric vehicle with new control capabilities that carries commercial, scientific, and government payloads to the near-space environment. It also utilizes the advantages of geostationary satellites, low-earth orbit satellites, and high-altitude drones to provide the optimum combination of resolution, precision, and long-term surveillance of vital targets.

The startup announced its plans to enter the space tourism and exploration market in October 2021 with its rocketless spacecraft. The spacecraft, known as the World View Explorer, consists of a football ground sized zero-pressure helium balloon, which will ascend at 10–12 miles per hour, carrying passengers in a capsule beneath it in first-class luxury complete with a bathroom and Wi-Ffi. The vessel would glide passengers 100,000 feet into the stratosphere on a 6–12 hour journey (vs. Virgin Galactic's 90-minute flight time) and would cost USD 50,000 per passenger (vs. USD 450,000 for Virgin Galactic). Its competitive pricing is attributed to the use of a natural resource (helium) instead of jet fuel. The company planned to have space ports at iconic locations such as The Grand Canyon (US), Amazonia (Brazil), Aurora Borealis (Norway), Giza pyramids (Egypt), Serengeti (Kenya), Great wall of China, and Great Barrier Reef (Australia). The company planned to have 28 spacecraft (each can carry 8 passengers and 2 crew members) to fly four flights a day at each of the 7 sites. The first rides are scheduled for 2023 and the first passengers for 2024. Pre-sale tickets are available for purchase.

Key customers and partnerships

In January 2023, World View entered a definitive business combination deal with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Leo Holdings as it geared up to go public with this transaction valuing the combined company at an estimated USD 350 million. However, later in 2023, it renounced its plans to go public by terminating the SPAC merger. 

The company’s key customers include NASA, NOAA, the US Department of Defense, the US Air Force, and Sierra Nevada Corporation.