This Week, We Recovered and Relaunched the Same Balloon Three Times
An Involve Space balloon can return to observing Earth up to five times over its operational lifetime.
This figure reflects our approach. A stratospheric platform operates at an altitude of approximately 20 km, much closer to Earth than a satellite, and returns to the ground at the end of its mission. This return allows us to recover the same hardware, inspect it, and send it back into the stratosphere.
The implications extend beyond engineering. A system that is not designed for recovery carries an environmental cost beyond the end of its mission, as new raw materials and energy are required to replace components that could otherwise be maintained, repaired, or upgraded. Designing for return and recovery means addressing environmental impact at its source. Fewer raw materials, less energy, and fewer fragments dispersed into the environment. This principle is part of a broader vision of a Space Circular Economy, in which the atmosphere and space are part of the ecosystem we inhabit.
Data from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Space Debris Office illustrate what happens when this principle is not applied. Approximately 46,000 objects are regularly tracked around Earth, with more than 15,000 tonnes of mass in orbit. Model estimates also indicate approximately 1.2 million debris fragments measuring between one and ten centimetres. In its report published this year, the Agency states that, if current trends continue, the long-term risk associated with fragmentation and collisions would be four times higher than the proposed sustainability threshold.
Every object not designed to return creates a lasting constraint for those who come after us. This is a problem that concerns Earth's orbit rather than the altitude at which we operate, but it stems from the same design decisions. The same reasoning applies to the environment in which we fly. The stratosphere is a fundamental part of the atmosphere and contributes to the climatic balance we experience on Earth. We must learn to treat it as we treat the land around us: an ecosystem to understand, monitor, and preserve, rather than simply a space in which to operate.
A principle, however, is only as meaningful as our ability to verify it. In 2025, we achieved B Corp certification and began measuring our Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. These measurements currently represent a preliminary estimate that we aim to consolidate in accordance with the GHG Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol). Through ZeroCO2, we established a corporate forest that has enabled us to absorb more than 15,000 kg of CO₂ and that we will continue to expand. These are the first steps in a longer journey, and we recognise how much work still lies ahead.
Designing better, measuring our impact, and taking responsibility for what we send into the stratosphere. Three different aspects of a single direction. Our commitment is to make the platforms we build available to those working on the ground, because innovation creates value when it becomes a practical tool serving people.
A balloon that returns to Earth five times is an engineering choice. What it observes each time it rises again is the reason we make that choice.
