To the roll call of record-chasing businessmen adventurers such as Steve Fossett and Richard Branson, add India's Vijaypat Singhania.
The 67-year-old textiles magnate said today he was confident of becoming the first person to fly a hot-air balloon to the edge of space.
This Saturday he will attempt to fly 21,000 metres (70,000ft) high, taking off in Mumbai, the Associated Press reported.
The current world record of 19,811 metres was established by Sweden's Per Lindstrand in Plano, Texas, in June 1988.
Mr Singhania, an aviator with four decades' experience, is being helped by British pilots Andy Elson and Colin Prescot, who are leading the record attempt's technical team.
The team has created a huge, 40-tonne balloon fired by propane and kerosene with a pressurised aluminum cabin into which Mr Singhania will be sealed. As he zooms spacewards, outside the cabin there will be subzero temperatures and not a lot of oxygen.
If all goes wrong, a form of parachute system which will be triggered.
The flight could take about five hours, and the balloon will travel a distance of 62 miles, said Mr Elson, who will follow the flight in a helicopter, monitoring wind direction and conditions for landing.
The industrialist last set a record for ultralight aviation 17 years ago when he flew 9,655km (6,000 miles) from Britain to India in 23 days, beating a 34-day record by British journalist and adventurer Brian Milton.
The question is, why do Fosset, Branson et al do it? They have loads of money and can obviously live a life as pleasant and pampered as they could want.
The usual answer is that its for the publicity, but there has to be more to it than that.
These guys are success junkies with high ambitions. Mr Singhania has described his journey to the edge of space as an attempt to "touch the face of God".
Also check out this quote today from Mr Singhania, who heads India's Raymond Ltd clothing firm: "I am going to succeed. Whether it will be in the first attempt, that I don't know. If I don't, I'll try again."
And as Branson said last year: "We've got wonderful stories to tell our grandchildren: incredible experiences which - if I survive them - I can share."
