A young entrepreneur from Sutton has high hopes of making space more accessible for people.

Leon Emirali, 26, will launch his new space company, Stratos, in the coming months.

Leon said: “Making it accessible is far-fetched unless you’re a billionaire like Richard Branson who can use rockets.

“It’s really exciting opening access to the stratosphere!”

The company uses high-tech balloons to send ‘payloads’ into space which Leon says are cheaper and safer than rockets.

Education will be one of the key areas where Stratos will offer their services.

Leon expanded: “You can sit in a classroom and read textbooks or watch videos but there’s nothing quite as exhilarating as sending up balloons with cameras and looking down on earth.

“We want to expose kids to space. We have the technology and systems in place.”

Sending a man into space via a balloon is something that could happen in 10 or 20 years, according to Leon.

He added: “It’s foolish to think it will happen anytime soon but the technology is there; it’s just about getting the budget.

“Wouldn’t it be great if one day we could send humans into the stratosphere on a balloon? That’s a holiday that would beat seven days in Mallorca!"

Leon is the co-founder of digital media agency, Crest, and has always wanted to be a businessman after being inspired by his father.

“The opportunities business gives you attracts me. Working on my own has always appealed to me because you’re not working to anyone else’s agenda."

Stratos has tested a number of different payloads into the stratosphere.

Novelty examples like photos of people’s faces and food items to see how they change in space have been experimented with.

Mapping weather systems is another aim of Leon’s company as they prepare to have a launch party in the coming months.