Tourism

Halo Space to manufacture capsules in Saudi Arabia

September 18, 2024, 8:36 AM

Halo Space, a Madrid-based company, said Saudi Arabia would play a key role in construction of the craft

Halo test flight within two weeks
Launch site 330km south of Riyadh
Saudi Arabia to partner in ‘mission’

Spanish company Halo Space plans to localise most manufacturing of its high-altitude balloon capsule to Saudi Arabia, it said this week before its first test launch in the kingdom.

The Madrid-based startup is due to stage an unmanned test flight from the Al-Aflaj oasis 330km south of Riyadh within the next two weeks, depending on weather conditions.

Saudi Arabia is also to become one of the regular launch sites for commercial near-space trips in what could be a major factor in Saudi tourism plans.

With SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic organising near-space flights in recent years, there is a race to commercialise the sector. Other startups include French company Zephalto, Florida-based Space Perspective and Arizona’s World View.

Carlos Mira, CEO of Halo Space, told journalists in Riyadh that Saudi Arabia would also play a central role in construction of the craft – a form of stratospheric balloon – including final assembly and testing facilities, a “space port” and an immersive experience dome for visitors.

“We believe that Saudi Arabia is uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in the near-space sector, and we are excited to continue building this partnership as we move forward with our mission,” Mira said.

The capsule, known as Aurora, will rise 30km from the Earth’s surface on the company’s sixth test flight. Space is considered to be 100km from Earth.

The flight is being coordinated with Saudi Arabia’s regulatory Communication, Space and Technology Commission. Earlier tests took place in Spain.

Space has become a new frontier in Saudi Arabia’s $1.25 trillion economic reform programme. Saudi Arabia has set a target for tourism to account for 10 percent of GDP by 2030.

Most of the Saudi tourism projects are aimed at affluent and ultra-rich tourists, such as the hotels in the Red Sea Global resorts, the Magna resorts inside futuristic city Neom and the ancient desert ruins of AlUla.

The Halo Space project, which was developed as an incubator project by the management consultancy Arthur D Little, also looks set to appeal to global elites rather than backpackers.

The company wants to schedule 400 commercial trips and carry 3,000 passengers a year by 2030, starting at a price of €150,000 per person for the six-hour journey. But it plans to begin commercial operations as soon as 2026.

Paying customers will be taken to 35km above the planet, where they will be able to see the Earth’s curvature.

Thomas Kuruvilla, managing partner at Arthur D Little, said the aim was to position Saudi Arabia as the world’s leading destination for space tourism while creating a synergy with the Saudi giga-projects.

“Near-space tourism will require coordination across the public and private sectors, with tourism public stakeholders playing a key role,” he told a news conference, adding that space tourism will bring “high-value jobs and new business opportunities”.