Zero2Infinity, an aerospace engineering Spanish company, will be testing their balloon-based rocket launches, named Bloostar.
This company provides ballooning services by taking payloads 99 % up into the Earth’s atmosphere. It launches near-Earth satellites until 28 kilometers above earth’s surface. The company has brought Aistech’s first satellite into the upper atmosphere using its Sub-Orbital Platform in Near Space balloon system.
Balloon Aerospace Engineering (Source: Bloostar)
By utilizing their expertise in near-space ballooning, Zero2infinity used their Bloostar system to let balloons take small rockets up to near-Earth, and have them launch satellites from there.
Zero2infinity targets micro and nano satellite launches and they are expecting an increase in demand in the future years to come. According to a 2014 SpaceWorks study, over 2000 nano/ micro-satellites under 50 kg will need to be launched by the year 2020.
Balloon Aerospace Engineering (Photo credit: Bloostar)
According to Universe Today, the company plans to test Bloostar by 2018, then conduct the first commercial launches by the year 2019.
