An Arizona space tourism business has apologized after one of its giant helium balloons exploded on its launch pad Tuesday, frightening residents and Tucson and smashing windows in surrounding neighborhoods.
Two employees at World View in Tucson, Arizona were treated for ringing in their ears, though no other injuries were reported.
The blast, in which a balloon ruptured on a launch pad during a test, was felt at least three miles away.
The Arizona Daily Independent obtained exclusive video of the explosion and granted KGUN9 permission to air it.
World View apologized for the incident via Twitter Thursday.
Sincere apologies for the inconvenience in Tucson on Tuesday with the ground test incident. A little shook up, but no injuries. We have initiated an investigation to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
— World View (@WorldViewSpace) December 21, 2017
World View Enterprises is a company that will soon offer space tourists the opportunity to ride in a capsule suspended by a helium balloon into the upper portions of Earth's atmosphere. The company is still running tests and is not fully operational yet.