World View Enterprises, Inc., doing business as World View, is an American near space exploration and technology company acquired by Ondas, Inc. in April 2026. The company is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona and was founded with the goal of increasing access to and the utilization of the stratosphere for scientific, commercial, economic, and military purposes. World View was founded and incorporated in 2012 by a team of aerospace and life support veterans and designs, manufactures and operates stratospheric balloon flight technology and services for a variety of customers and applications, most notably space tourism and stratospheric observation services.
Stratollite and Z-Class vehicle The Stratollite is a remotely operated, navigable, uncrewed stratospheric flight vehicle designed and engineered to station-keep over customer-specified areas of interest for long periods of time (days, weeks, and months). The Stratollite uses proprietary altitude control technology to rise and lower in the stratosphere, harnessing the natural currents of varying stratospheric winds to provide point-to-point navigation and loitering. The Stratollite operates at altitudes up to 95,000 ft. (30 km) with a payload capacity of 50 kg (110 lb) and 250W of continuous power to payloads. The Stratollite is primarily used for applications including remote sensing, communications, and weather. The Stratollite consists of a high-altitude balloon which lofts up a large solar panel and a payload gondola. The Stratollite also has a steerable parachute for soft return to ground after mission, enabling payload recovery. The main innovation of the Stratollite is its steerability enabling point-to-point navigation and persistent flight over selected area. The Stratollite relies on the natural winds in the atmosphere for its propulsion; it steerability is based on its ability to control its altitude, thus harnessing winds of different directions, enabling the Stratollite to move in the direction it wants to. World view also offer traditional, uncontrolled high-altitude balloon flights (which just drift freely, without any control of direction of travel, in the winds of the high atmosphere) with their so-called Z-Class flight vehicle. The Z-Class vehicle has much larger payload capability and higher operating altitude compared to the Stratollite. The Z-Class flight vehicle also offers a possibility for payload recovery. World View has conducted Z-Class flights for NASA's Flight Opportunities Program (FOP), for example on March 29, 2018 when two NASA radiation detection experiments, Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety (ARMAS) and a chip-based radiation sensor were flown out of Spaceport Tucson.
Explorer human spaceflight experience The Explorer human spaceflight experience (so called by World View, even though the flight would not reach space by any standards) is under development with the goal of carrying private individuals to approximately 100,000 ft (30.48 km) above Earth inside a pressurized capsule lofted by a helium-filled high-altitude balloon. The flight vehicle will carry eight passengers and two crew on an approximately 6-8 hour flight (from liftoff to touchdown). Once the pilot nears the target landing zone, the capsule will deploy a patented parafoil system and separate from the balloon. The parafoil system is navigated to steer the capsule to a pre-determined landing zone. The flight experience is intended to give passengers a wide-angle and long-duration view of the curvature of the Earth against the blackness of space. The pressurized capsule is planned to include a restroom, minibar, and communications capabilities for communicating with family and friends below in real-time. In 2018, tickets were being offered for $75,000 with a $7,500 deposit. As of December 2019, World View saw the first flights taking place "in few short years". However, a precise date for the first flight was not announced. Technology development and systems testing are on-going, and the company stated that the "most recent major test flight [had taken] place in June of 2014" when a 10% scale model was flown into stratosphere and successfully recovered, demonstrating the targeted flight profile. In April 2020, the company delayed development plans of a robust "stratospheric racetrack" due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instead continuing to work with customers on scientific payloads and data collection. On 3 May 2021, the following text was in the World View company's website: "Our full, flight services portfolio, including the very unique experience we call Explorer, will continue to be a part of the future planning within World View while we focus our near-term attention on our unmanned, stratospheric data and information services." On 4 October 2021, World View announced that commercial flights will begin in 2024 out of Spaceport Grand Canyon. In total, seven spaceports (which, though called spaceports by the company, are only planned to support high-altitude ballooning) are planned to open between 2024-2027 across the world as part of the Seven Wonders of the World, Stratospheric Edition. Spaceports will be located at Amazonia in Brazil, Aurora Borealis in Norway, Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Grand Canyon in the United States, Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Great Wall of China in Mongolia, and Serengeti in Kenya. Interested participants can place a $1000 refundable deposit to secure their place in line for a flight out of any of these seven spaceports, known as the Seven Wonders of the World: Stratospheric Edition. Explorer-class flights, which begin with Flight #21, cost $50,000 per seat. Participants will spend 5 days at the spaceport location experiencing, exploring and learning about the local area with local guides and then float up to see these world wonders from 100,000 feet.
Spaceport Tucson
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