A British adventurer has made history by becoming the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a hydrogen gas balloon.
Alicia Hempleman-Adams, 36, from Bath in Somerset, completed the landmark journey over four days.
Her balloon, Atlantic Explorer, lifted off from Presque Isle, Maine, in the United States at around 2am on June 4, following delays caused by strong winds.
The aircraft relied on hydrogen, rather than helium, for lift and featured an open basket, leaving the crew exposed to the weather throughout the flight.
Ms Hempleman-Adams and her teammates, Bert Padelt and Peter Cuneo, touched down in Bastendorf, Luxembourg, on the morning of June 7.
Over the course of the crossing, the three crew members travelled at an average altitude of 14,000 feet and used supplemental oxygen to help prevent hypoxia.
Altogether, they remained airborne for 70 hours, covering 5,282 kilometres and reaching speeds of up to 100km per hour.
Presque Isle was chosen not only because it is among the closest US launch points to Europe, but also because of its place in ballooning history: it was where Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman began the first successful transatlantic balloon crossing in 1978.
Alicia Hempleman-Adams, 36, smiles after becoming the first woman to complete a manned transoceanic flight in a balloon using hydrogen gas as its sole onboard source of lift
Ms Hempleman-Adams’s balloon the Atlantic Explorer soars above the clouds during her transatlantic crossing
The Atlantic Explorer captured dropping ballast over Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada
After successfully navigating over Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in Canada, the group collectively committed to the ocean crossing.
Once clear of Newfoundland, the only alternative landing place would have been the open ocean.
Speaking after arriving in Europe, Ms Hempleman-Adams said: ‘I’m incredibly proud that we completed the crossing and made it safely across to Luxembourg.’
She added: ‘There were times when we thought we might not make it.
‘Flying through rain caused ice to build up on the balloon, which made conditions extremely difficult and added real jeopardy to the flight.
‘It was an extraordinary team effort to keep going and bring the balloon safely across the Atlantic.
‘I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn so much from two world-class pilots.’
Ms Hempleman-Adams is the daughter of British adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams, 69, who previously completed the Atlantic journey solo, also in an open basket balloon.
Hempleman-Adams (left), pictured with teammates Bert Padelt (centre) and Peter Cuneo (right). The trio required supplemental oxygen since the balloon travelling at an average altitude of 14,000 feet
Alicia Hempleman-Adams and her team taking off from Presque Isle in Maine, USA on June 4
Sir David said: ‘I am enormously proud of Alicia. I know first-hand just how tough an Atlantic crossing in an open basket can be, and to complete it in such challenging conditions is a remarkable achievement.’
Ms Hempleman-Adams and her colleagues were only the second crew to attempt the transatlantic crossing using hydrogen for uplift.
The previous team, Small World in 1958, failed in their crossing – and all other flights have used helium.
Ms Hempleman-Adams was awarded an OBE by King Charles III at Windsor Castle in December 2024 for her daring feats.
In 2020 she endured temperatures as low as –30C (–22F) as she broke the women’s world record for altitude in a small hot air balloon.
Ms Hempleman-Adams flew an AX4 hot air balloon for an hour and 46 minutes at Calgary in Alberta, Canada, to achieve the record.
