The Wiltshire explorer’s attempt to cross the Atlantic in a hydrogen balloon has been thwarted

Sir David Hempleman-Adams abandoned the mission due to bad weather

A British explorer has thwarted his plans to cross the Atlantic in a hydrogen balloon midway through the attempt.

Sir David Hempleman-Adams is hoping to cross the ocean in an open hydrogen balloon – with the aim of reaching Britain later this week.

The expedition began when he and a team of two fellow scientists and entrepreneurs left Presque Isle in the US state of Maine around 10:30 p.m. local hour.

However, just seven hours into the journey, the three – who were traveling on the Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer – were forced to land before entering Canada’s Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

This was the third time the initiative had been attempted, having been postponed twice due to adverse weather conditions.

For the third time, the weather “cleared perfectly” to allow the attempt to go ahead, but it was soon discovered that the balloon would have to fly at a higher altitude, requiring more ballast – a material used to stabilize a structure.

Giving the update, a mission spokesperson said: “The crew decided to land the balloon before the Gulf of St Lawrence. They came to the conclusion that they would not have had enough ballast to reach Europe”.

The hot air balloon landed at 9:40 am local time near the town of Christies Landing in the Canadian province of New Brunswick.

“The crew is safe and well,” the spokesman said. “It was a very difficult decision and they are obviously extremely disappointed, but safety is obviously paramount.

“They flew for about seven hours, the highest level they flew at was 10,000 feet and a distance of about 125 nautical miles.”

She also confirmed that the initiative will be tried again depending on weather conditions.

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