A Spanish company developing balloon-powered space capsules is planning to launch about 100 flights each year from Saudi Arabia after starting commercial operations in 2026. Halo Space has completed five test flights in India and California and will carry out its next one in a remote desert in Saudi Arabia, with a launch window available from September 27 to 30. Regular flights taking off from the kingdom could help the country become the regional centre of space tourism and set itself apart from neighbouring countries, which focus more on government-led space missions and satellite development. The flights, which will also take off from the US, Spain and Australia, will carry passengers to an altitude of 35km with the help of an enormous helium balloon, so they can see the curvature of the Earth against the darkness of space but will not experience weightlessness. Tickets will be €150,000 ($167,000). Carlos Mira, chief executive of Halo Space, told the company is setting up in the kingdom to assemble and test its Aurora capsules. “Our plan is a minimum of 100 flights per year in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “What we’re bringing is the opportunity for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to develop […]