Balloonist eyes flight to stratosphere

Having set a record for circumnavigating the world solo in a hot air balloon, Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov says he aiming to ascend to new heights next - rising to the stratosphere.

The 64-year-old began his journey from Northam in Western Australia on July 12 and safely landed in a field in West Australia after more than 11 days aloft.

"We are launching another project...a flight to stratosphere," he said in Moscow on Wednesday.

"The preparation will last for nine months. Next year I'm planning to climb up to 25,000 metres; the current record is 21,300 metres and it belongs to India. We want to beat it...This will be the biggest balloon ever built on earth."