Indian startup launches superpressure balloon at 25 km

A private Indian aerospace startup has successfully launched the country’s first domestically developed superpressure balloon, marking a significant step into near-space technology. Red Balloon Aerospace’s mission, named SANA, lifted off from the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada, carrying commercial payloads for seven national and international partners. The company’s VISTA platform ascended to an altitude of approximately 25 kilometers, operating in the stratosphere.

The launch places India among a small group of nations, including the United States, France, Japan, and China, with indigenous stratospheric hydrogen balloon capability. Founded in 2025, Red Balloon Aerospace achieved this operational commercial flight within eight months, a timeline the company describes as one of the fastest in the global near-space sector.

The VISTA platform is designed to fill a gap in spatial infrastructure between aircraft, which operate below 10 kilometers, and satellites, which orbit above 160 kilometers. Unlike conventional high-altitude balloons that descend within hours, the superpressure technology allows the platform to maintain a stable altitude for extended periods without losing...