World View's successful test of a high-altitude parafoil brings the dream closer to reality.

Fancy a trip to the edge of space in a high-altitude balloon? World View and United Parachute Technologies (UPT) brought that dream one step closer to reality on Friday with the successful flight of a parafoil from a record-breaking height of 102,200 feet.

World View aims to one day take passengers to dizzying heights in hot air balloons, making Friday's parafoil test flight a major milestone for the company. The plan is to begin near-space flights in a balloon and then use a parafoil for "easing passengers gently down to Earth from the stratosphere."

The test flight above Arizona also marked the official start of World View's partnership with UPT, which co-designed the parafoil technology with Performance Designs. The parafoil system tested this week will be used for unmanned research flights and passenger trips to the edge of space.

"The accomplishments of this flight further our two main objectives of manned spaceflight and advancing research," World View chief technology officer Taber MacCallum said in a statement. "The successful flight of the parafoil at this altitude brings us closer to flying private citizens safely to the edge of space and also allows us to continue our research and education program by providing safe access to the near-space environment."

The uncrewed test flight carried a payload of experiments. Montana State University researchers tested a computer system "designed to achieve increased reliability in extreme environments" and video equipment which is to be used to capture a 2017 solar eclipse. Researchers from the University of North Florida supplied a nanocrystalline gas sensor array for measuring the stratosphere's ozone gas profile.

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Fancy a Balloon Trip to the Edge of Space?