HALO Space Advances Near-Space Tourism Ambitions
HALO Space, a Madrid-based aerospace start-up born from Arthur D. Little’s Breakthrough Incubator, is accelerating its push toward commercial near-space tourism. The company has announced plans for a second test flight, building on momentum from a successful high-altitude mission in late 2022. Its ambition is to offer zero-emission passenger flights to altitudes of around 40 kilometers, deep into the stratosphere, where travelers can view the curvature of Earth and the blackness beyond.
Arthur D. Little (ADL), recognized as the world’s oldest management consultancy, has a long-standing relationship with the space sector. During the Apollo era, more than 80 ADL staff contributed to NASA’s 1969 Apollo 11 mission. Since then, the firm has advised on lunar surface intelligence, astronaut safety systems, and innovation strategies for both NASA and the European Space Agency. This heritage positioned ADL’s incubator as a fertile environment for HALO Space’s early development.
Founded in 2021, HALO Space secured €3 million in seed funding while in the incubator, enabling it to spin out as an independent company under CEO Carlos Mira and CTO Alberto Castrillo, both veterans of the aerospace industry. The company has assembled a consortium of established aerospace partners—CT Engineering Group, Aciturri, GMV, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)—to advance its flight systems.
The current HALO Space vehicle is a pressurized capsule designed for eight passengers and a pilot. Suspended beneath a stratospheric balloon, the capsule is engineered for flights lasting up to six hours. Passengers would ascend to near-space altitudes, where the thin atmosphere and expansive horizon offer a perspective once reserved for astronauts. The design integrates life-support systems, thermal regulation, and redundant safety measures, including a parachute-assisted descent system.
“HALO Space will pave the way for near-space tourism, making it possible for ordinary people to travel to space and witness the beauty of our planet from a unique perspective,” said Mira. “By making space accessible to more people, we hope to democratise access to space and create a more inclusive future for humanity.”
Market projections suggest a strong appetite for such experiences among high-net-worth individuals. UBS has estimated that near-space tourism could generate $14 billion annually by 2030, with ticket prices between $100,000 and $200,000. HALO Space aims to capture as much as $3 billion of that potential market, leveraging its early-mover position and the appeal of a destination previously beyond civilian reach.
The company’s first test flight, conducted in India in late 2022, achieved an altitude of 37 kilometers. That mission validated key subsystems, including the balloon envelope, capsule pressurization, avionics, and controlled descent. The upcoming second test flight, planned for southern Spain in summer 2023, will further refine performance parameters and operational procedures. While no exact launch date has been announced, the milestone is positioned as a critical step toward commercial readiness.
From ADL’s perspective, HALO Space’s progress underscores the incubator’s role in fostering breakthrough ventures. Thomas Kuruvilla, a global board member at ADL, stated, “HALO Space was established thanks to Arthur D. Little’s Breakthrough Incubator programme, and this next test flight is a significant milestone in the development of space tourism. Each component of the HALO concept, including the stratospheric balloon, capsule prototype, onboard systems, and descent with parachute, has been successfully tested in collaboration with our technical partners. HALO Space’s early work demonstrates that the technology and safety measures are in place to make suborbital flights accessible to civilians in the near future.”
Engineering challenges remain substantial. Operating at 40 kilometers requires precise control of balloon lift dynamics, robust environmental sealing against near-vacuum conditions, and thermal management in extreme temperature gradients. The parachute recovery system must reliably deploy from high altitude, where air density is low, demanding careful aerodynamic design. Collaboration with specialized aerospace firms allows HALO Space to draw on expertise in composite structures, avionics integration, and mission safety protocols.
As the sector evolves, near-space tourism is emerging as a distinct branch of commercial spaceflight, separate from orbital missions yet offering many of the same experiential draws. For engineers and enthusiasts, HALO Space’s trajectory offers a case study in how legacy expertise, targeted incubation, and cross-industry partnerships can accelerate the path from concept to flight hardware.
