The Indian private space sector has traditionally focused on rockets, satellites, and launching payloads into orbit. However, Red Balloon Aerospace, a company based in Vijayawada, is focusing on the region below satellites, developing platforms capable of long-duration operation at high altitudes.
The company was founded in 2025 by former vice presidents of Skyroot Aerospace, CVS Kiran, and Sireesh Pallikonda. The startup is engaged in creating what is called a near-space infrastructure layer using stratospheric airships, aerostats, and superpressure balloons.
The company's goal is to explore the zone located between traditional aviation and orbital space. Kiran, CEO of Red Balloon Aerospace, notes: 'There is an entire area between where airplanes end and where satellites begin that is largely unused, close enough to be accessible, and high enough to provide consistency. Approximately from 20 to 50 km above Earth.'
Kiran, who previously worked at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, stated that while working on orbital systems, he identified a gap in India's infrastructure. Payload developers need to test technologies at high altitudes before sending them into space, but existing facilities are limited and often overloaded.
Red Balloon intends to address this deficiency by establishing a commercial infrastructure business. The startup's primary platform is HELIX—an autonomous stratospheric airship designed for long-term operations. Two other platforms are being developed concurrently: VISTA, a superpressure balloon, and ALTIS, a tethered aerostat.
In May, the company launched VISTA from Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada. The balloon reached nearly 25 km, demonstrating India's capabilities in its own stratospheric superpressure balloons alongside those of the USA, France, Japan, and China.
According to Kiran, VISTA will also serve as a testing ground for technologies that will eventually be used in HELIX, while ALTIS is being developed to test other systems. Kiran emphasized: 'We own the design of our envelope film and reinforcing structure from start to finish in-house, which allowed us to move from starting operations in November to the first flight in less than a year.'
Red Balloon is developing a modular technology stack covering materials, avionics, navigation, communication, payload interfaces, and mission software. These components can be applied across all its platforms. Potential applications include communications, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) connectivity, disaster response, remote sensing, and domain awareness.
For commercial clients, Red Balloon offers a rideshare model, allowing multiple payloads to be transported in a single mission. Kiran explained: 'Commercially, partners approach us today for various applications through our rideshare model, where one mission carries multiple payloads simultaneously.'
Beyond technology development, Red Balloon aims for near-space to be recognized as a distinct category within India's aerospace ecosystem. Kiran mentioned that potential government applications include sovereign communications, Earth observation, and emergency response. The company also expects international B2B clients to utilize its platforms for payload flights.
The company's team possesses over seventy years of cumulative experience in lighter-than-air technologies and stratospheric platforms. Red Balloon has secured an undisclosed pre-seed funding round and is currently raising a seed round. Globally, it competes with companies such as World View and Sceye. Kiran believes the company's advantage lies in developing and controlling most of its technology internally. He stated: 'We control the entire value chain, from the envelope film and structural elements to the data processing systems collected by our platforms.'
Currently, Red Balloon's priority is accumulating flight data from VISTA, ALTIS, and HELIX, with the long-term goal of establishing near-space as an additional layer of India's aerospace infrastructure. Red Balloon Aerospace is part of the Tech30 cohort from YourStory—a showcase of India's most promising startups of 2026, presented at TechSparks Bengaluru.