(Image source from: Arizona company successfully tests space-touring balloon})

An Arizona based company, World View Enterprises, successfully completed the first small-scale test flight of its high-altitude balloon and capsule that can sail 6 tourists 20 miles (32 kilometres) above the earth.

Set in Tucson, the company launched its flight last week from Roswell, New Mexico.

CEO Jane Poynter confirmed that the system broke the world record for highest parafoil flight by carrying a payload to 120,000 feet (36,576 metres).

"It went really, really, really well," Poynter said. "Actually, the guys hit the ball out of the park. We're thrilled."

The parafoil, launched from the Roswell airport, was the first of its kind of a testing done by the company. It used a balloon about third the size of that planned for passenger flight to lift a payload of about one-tenth of what will be used to carry passengers.

The company has all plans to launch its $75,000 per-person flights by 2016. Passengers will be carried up to space with balloons that can carru a capsule carrying six passengers and two crew members 20 miles (32 kilometres) up, where they will float under a parafoil for about two hours before floating back down to earth. The capsule will be big enough for the passengers to walk around.

AW: Suchorita Choudhury