**Hera Rising is the project name given to the next planned stratospheric skydive. Along with trying to break several existing skydiving records, it will also be the first time such a feat has been attempted by a woman. They hope to launch this mission by the end of 2026.**

When you really stop to think about it,
even the greatest plot twists
only have the one chance to get you.

But for the twist to work, it also needs
you to be in a place
to see its inevitability.

How often do you ask yourself
if you would be ready
for an impossible opportunity
to suddenly become real?

In time’s forever march forward
it will soon be your turn
to behold the curvature of the earth.

Will you be able to hold your eyes open
and keep your wits about you?

I can say
way up above the clouds,
a higher form of thrill
is waiting for your courage
and faith
but be warned
because sometimes
you only get the one chance.

Please,
allow me to be
the first to say
when that day comes
I hope you come back alive.

I pray
when the air becomes too thin
that you’ll still draw breath into your lungs,
that when you’re faced with a marathon of falling
you won’t be overcome by fear,
that when the anxiety sends you into a fatal spin
you’ll find a way to stabilize yourself,
that when it feels like all eyes are on you
as you are about to crash into the earth
you’ll discover within yourself
a fortitude you may not know you have–
the ability, a willingness
to live the same life
as all the rest of the world.

I pray
that when the odds seem insurmountable
you’ll recognize in your own heart this belief:

your capacity to love and,
more importantly,
to be loved
for everything you are.

You have the power to make it back home.

Just remember
it’s an opportunity 
that doesn’t come often.
You may only have the one chance
to claim all this future as your own.

So ask yourself,
when your moment inevitably comes
will you have the courage
and faith
to take the plunge?