The first transatlantic flight attempt on a hydrogen balloon failed due to weather

The first attempt to cross the Atlantic in an open basket hydrogen balloon failed due to weather seven hours after launch.

British explorer Sir David Hempleman-Adams set off from Presque Isle (Maine, USA) together with American balloon maker Bert Padelt and Swiss scientist and entrepreneur Dr. Frederic Paulsen.

Three aeronauts took off in the Torabhaig Atlantic balloon Explorer around 10:30 p.m. Friday local time.

Their attempt had been delayed twice before due to bad weather, but the third time, according to the team, it “cleared up perfectly” for takeoff.

However, conditions meant that the balloon would need a higher altitude than planned, meaning increased use of ballast.

“The crew decided to land the balloon in front of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They concluded that they would not have enough ballast to reach Europe”, – said the press secretary.

The balloon touched down at 9:40 a.m. local time near Christie's Landing in New Brunswick, Canada, on Saturday.

&ldquo ;The crew is safe and well. It was a very difficult decision and they are obviously extremely disappointed, but safety comes first,”, – added the spokeswoman.

She confirmed that they would try to do it again when weather conditions permitted.

During their trip, the team planned to conduct experiments to find out’ , how particles from wildfires travel through the atmosphere and affect diseases such as asthma.

If they go ahead with their plan, their trip would be the first transatlantic crossing in a hydrogen balloon and could also mark the longest distance flown on this type of balloon.