Technology to use hot air balloons for rocket launches competes in a startup battlefield
The team members of Leo Aerospace, a Purdue University-affiliated startup, created what they hope is a more efficient launch technique that requires far less infrastructure than an ordinary rocket. A large balloon inflates and lifts the payload, a small rocket, to the desired altitude, and then the rocket ignites and puts the payload into orbit. They have successfully tested the system and are continuing to scale up their efforts with larger payloads.