This Strato-Balloon Puts a Very Luxurious Spin on Space Tourism, Will Wine and Dine You

The market of space tourism is crowded with startups and admirable initiatives with immediate timeliness. Zephalto is another such startup promising the moon in the sky in an almost literal sense, but with a very luxurious, very fancy, and very French spin to space tourism. World, meet Celeste, the fanciest strato-balloon so far.

Zephalto was founded in 2016 by aerospace engineer Vincent Farret d'Astiès and currently boasts high-profile partners like Airbus, Dassault, CNES (National Center for Space Studies), and ESA (European Space Agency). Right now, Zephalto is working towards a 2025 launch goal of Celeste, described as "the most pristine spaceship of the 21st century" – and perhaps the most luxurious as well.

Celeste is a pressurized capsule that will take six well-heeled tourists and two pilots/crew to the edge of space with help from a strato-balloon. The idea is not new, but the way in which Zephalto approaches it certainly is: this is no "regular" journey to the edge of space but the most incredible, luxurious, and personalizable experience. It is a "life-changing experience in harmony with nature" and "the most groundbreaking adventure one can only imagine today," the startup promises.

You'd think that a 6-hour trip to an altitude of 25 km (15.5 miles) so you can observe and be amazed at the curvature of Earth would be enough of a treat in and of itself, but Zephalto begs to differ. After all, that's precisely what the other startups are also offering.

Zephalto adds a more sophisticated touch by adding gourmet meals both before and during the flight, aperitifs, an oenological tasting experience during the flight curated by a renowned but yet unnamed sommelier, stratographic photography, and the possibility to share it instantly with the people back on Earth via Wi-Fi, and the option to further customize the experience to the point of privatizing the entire flight. In layman's terms, you can book the whole flight for a wedding or a birthday party, and Zephalto will add personalized touches. It sure beats a celebration dinner with friends and family!

The final design of the Celeste capsule remains a mystery as of the time of press, but Zephalto is working with designer Joseph Dirand on it. Dirand's previous work includes the Balmain and Givenchy stores in Paris and restaurants like Monsieur Bleu and Loulou, so you know whatever styling he chooses for the capsule will be sophisticated, minimalist, and elegant.

Looks aside, Celeste boasts several future world records and 11 pending patents, according to Zephalto. It will be the safest strato-balloon in the world and will feature the largest window on the market, with a surface of 2 square meters (21.5 square feet). At 20 square meters (215 square feet), Celeste will also be the biggest space capsule out there, with the most valuable square meter in the world.

The first Celeste flight, scheduled tentatively for 2025, will also mark the lowest amount of CO2 generated by a space flight: 26.6 kg (58.6 lbs) of CO2 for the entire 6-hour journey, the equivalent of the carbon footprint of a pair of denim trousers. How's that for putting a new perspective on things?

Zephalto says that anyone can fly with Celeste as long as they're cleared to board a plane since tourists onboard won't be experiencing weightlessness. There's a 2-day preparation period, but it won't include any physical training, just basic prep and psychological counseling. The latter will prepare tourists for the Overview Effect, a cognitive shift that occurs when seeing Earth from space for the first time, whose first phase is usually despair and hopelessness.

Aside from the big promises and the equally-big words used to describe this ultra-luxury space experience, Zephalto is rather ungenerous with the details. There's a mention of a vague plan to build specially-designed spaceports for the launches, first in Paris and then in other cities across all continents. There's the mention of a 60-flight yearly goal after the 2025 launch and the possibility of reaching the 25 km (15.5-mile) threshold with a test balloon later this year. And then, there's the promise of "more” – more bonus experiences, more surprises, and more details to be revealed soon.

Until then, Zephalto is taking pre-reservations for €10,000 a pop – approximately $11,000 at the current exchange rate. A ticket costs €120,000 ($132,000), which includes a couple of gourmet meals and the wine tasting in space, but not whatever extras you wish to add, with help from a so-called "experience designer." But the bragging rights that come with the experience are, as they say, priceless. Assuming all goes according to plan.