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From that time Andrée devoted himself to aerial navigation, and made his first ascent at Stockholm in the summer of 1893.

He has since made a number of ascents for scientific purposes, some of which were of a most perilous nature—one resulting in a disaster in the Baltic. On another occasion he was carried from Gothenburg over the Baltic, after having traversed the whole of Sweden. The reefs round the Isle of Goëland presented the greatest difficulties to his landing. This last attempt nearly cost Andrée his life; but these “little accidents” were not calculated to discourage a man of his temperament.

He made several experiments at steering by means of a guide-rope and a sail, and came to the conclusion that it would be possible to direct the course of the balloon even while keeping it at a low altitude.

Thereupon, early in 1895, Andrée presented to the Academy of Sciences a well matured project for exploring the regions of the North Pole with the aid of a balloon; the start was to be made from Spitzbergen, where the inflation of the balloon was to be effected. The estimated cost amounted to about £7,177.