Overview
- The Atlantic Explorer landed safely in Luxembourg on Sunday morning, bringing its three pilots ashore after roughly 70 hours aloft.
- The balloon lifted off from Presque Isle, Maine on Thursday with pilots Bert Padelt, Alicia Hempleman‑Adams and Peter Cuneo aboard.
- The team says the crossing covered about 2,853 miles in 70 hours 11 minutes and calls it the first trans‑Atlantic open‑basket flight powered only by hydrogen, but those figures are preliminary team estimates that need outside confirmation.
- Pilots reported hazardous conditions including heavy weather and rain that formed ice on the envelope, and they flew in an open basket at about 14,000 feet where they required supplemental oxygen.
- The success follows three earlier Atlantic Explorer attempts since 2023 and creates a unique family milestone for Hempleman‑Adams, whose father also crossed the Atlantic by balloon; investigators and record authorities will now examine flight logs, telemetry and recovery data.