New Delhi, May 18 -- India's near-space technology ambitions moved a step closer to reality as Red Balloon Aerospace conducted a tethered launch trial of its super-pressure balloon (SPB) system at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada, ahead of the country's first indigenous stratospheric SPB mission planned for Q2 2026.

The controlled tethered launch was designed as a full-scale simulation of the company's upcoming stratospheric mission, which aims to take the balloon platform to an altitude of nearly 25 kilometres. The exercise focused on validating launch protocols, ground crew coordination, payload integration, and operational readiness under real-world conditions.

The development highlights the growing momentum in India's private...