JP Aerospace, an amateur balloon/rocket-launching operation with some big ideas, has just announced their Away 26 mission will be lifting off this weekend, heading for 100,000 ft altitude. Videos from previous missions and construction operations are available from their website – the video from Away 17, showing the drop from “the edge of space” is fascinating.

It’s not entirely clear from the website, but they don’t appear to be launching the real “Airship” that might get to orbit this time around – it’ll be just a platform with some electronic equipment and controls for testing. Would these guys actually do this interesting stuff if they were getting paid for it?