News This Company Wants to Take You for Dinner 15 Miles High on a Luxury Space Balloon Zephalto, a French travel company specializing in low-carbon balloon travel, is set to launch luxury trips into the stratosphere next year. By Stacey Leasca Published on April 26, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Courtesy of Zephalto If you're the kind of person who's been there and done that, we've got a brand-new experience for you — dining and drinking in space. Zephalto, a French travel company specializing in low-carbon balloon travel, is set to launch its luxury rides to take a few lucky people to the stratosphere by 2025. As it explains on its website, the trips will take place in Céleste, its pressurized capsule carried by a "balloon the size of the Sacré Coeur in Paris." The trips begin at its spaceport in France, where guests will arrive a few days before their scheduled flight to get acquainted with the process and to attend a few exclusive events. Wine Aged on International Space Station Expected to Sell for Up to $1 Million Then, on flight day, just six guests on each trip will hop in the pod and float up into the air at 13 feet per second until they reach an altitude of about 15.5 miles above the Earth's surface. And that's a height Vincent Farret d'Astiès, the founder of Zephalto, told Bloomberg, was entirely on purpose. "We choose [15.5 miles] high because it's the altitude where you are in the darkness of space, with 98% of the atmosphere below you, so you can enjoy the curvature of the Earth in the blue line," Farret d'Astiès said. "You're in the darkness of space, but without the zero gravity experience." Courtesy of Zephalto The entire journey lasts for about six hours, including a 90-minute ascent and three hours floating in the air before descent. That three hours includes meals by French chefs and guided wine tasting by the onboard sommelier so guests can savor a few French varietals like never before. And it's all set in an interior designed by Joseph Dirand, who also designed the Loulou and Monsieur Bleu and the Balmain and Givenchy stores in Paris. The one catch? You'd better be ready to shell out a pretty penny. The trips start at about $132,000 per person. But hey, at least the balloons come with Wi-Fi, so you can live stream your epic life for all your Instagram followers to get jealous over. (Of course, we'd hope this is a much more profound experience than just another one for the 'gram.) You can book your spot aboard a 2025 journey now at zephalto.com — just be ready to plunk down $11,000 as a down payment. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit