Wānaka, New Zealand—NASA is targeting Friday, May 5 (Thursday, May 4 in U.S. EDT) to conduct a second super pressure balloon (SPB) test flight launching from Wānaka Airport to further test and qualify the technology, which can offer cost savings compared to space missions.
The first super pressure balloon launch carrying the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) continues to perform brilliantly and has been at float for more than 18 days.
This second scheduled flight will carry the Extreme Universe Space Observatory 2 (EUSO-2) science mission. EUSO-2, from the University of Chicago, aims to build on data collected during a 2017 mission. The mission will detect ultra-high energy cosmic-ray particles from beyond our galaxy as they penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. The origins of these particles are not well known, so the data collected from EUSO-2 will help solve this science mystery.
NASA will begin flight preparations in the early morning hours Friday in New Zealand and continue to evaluate weather conditions throughout the morning. If weather is conducive for launch, lift-off is scheduled between 8 and 11:30 a.m. locally (between 4 and 7:30 p.m. U.S. EDT Thursday, May 4).
At this time, forecast weather conditions and the predicted launch flight trajectory are both considered marginal.
For subsequent launch attempts, if needed, NASA will announce by 2 p.m. NZST (10 p.m. EDT) if the next day’s forecast weather will support a launch attempt.
For those in the local area, the public won’t be allowed at or to park alongside Wānaka Airport on the morning of the launch for flight safety reasons. However, immediately after lift-off, the balloon will be visible for miles around – the best viewing points will be on the hill on the Hawea side of the Red Bridge by Kane Road or on the Hawea Flat side of the Clutha River.
The launch can be tracked in the following ways:
• A live feed of the launch is available here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-csbf-downrange-operations
• Track the progress of the flight at the following link, which includes a map showing the balloon’s real-time location, at: https://www.csbf.nasa.gov/map/balloon8/flight729NT.htm.
Ongoing mission updates are also available on NASA’s Super Pressure Balloon blog.
NASA conducts SPB launches from New Zealand in collaboration with the Queenstown Airport Corporation, Queenstown Lake District Council, New Zealand Space Agency, and Airways New Zealand.
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia manages the agency’s scientific balloon flight program with 10 to 15 flights each year from launch sites worldwide. Peraton, which operates NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Texas, provides mission planning, engineering services, and field operations for NASA’s scientific balloon program. The CSBF team has launched more than 1,700 scientific balloons over some 40 years of operations. NASA’s balloons are fabricated by Aerostar. The NASA Balloon Program is funded by the NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate Astrophysics Division.
For more information on NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons
Author: Jeremy Eggers
NASA Schedules Second Super Pressure Balloon Launch
Update April 30, 1 p.m. NZST: After running risk assessments for tomorrow’s attempt, the team has decided to cancel the May 1 New Zealand (April 30 in the United States) launch attempt of the super pressure balloon. The next launch opportunity is Tuesday, May 2 (Monday, May 1 in the United States). Updates will be posted on this blog.
Wānaka, New Zealand—NASA is targeting Monday, May 1 (Sunday, April 30 in the United States) to conduct a second super pressure balloon (SPB) test flight launching from Wānaka Airport to further test and qualify the technology, which can offer cost savings compared to space missions.
The first super pressure balloon launch carrying the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) continues to perform brilliantly and has been at float for nearly two weeks.
This second scheduled flight will carry the Extreme Universe Space Observatory 2 (EUSO-2) science mission. EUSO-2, from the University of Chicago, aims to build on data collected during a 2017 mission. The mission will detect ultra-high energy cosmic-ray particles from beyond our galaxy as they penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. The origins of these particles are not well known, so the data collected from EUSO-2 will help solve this science mystery.
NASA will begin flight preparations in the early morning hours Monday and continue to evaluate weather conditions throughout the morning. If weather is conducive for launch, lift-off is scheduled between 8 and 11:30 a.m. locally (between 4 and 7:30 p.m. U.S. EDT Sunday, April 30).
At this time, forecast weather conditions are favorable for launch, however, the predicted launch flight trajectory is considered marginal.
For subsequent launch attempts, if needed, NASA will announce by 2 p.m. NZST (10 p.m. EDT) if the next day’s forecast weather will support a launch attempt.
For those in the local area, the public won’t be allowed at or to park alongside Wānaka Airport on the morning of the launch for flight safety reasons. However, immediately after lift-off, the balloon will be visible for miles around – the best viewing points will be on the hill on the Hawea side of the Red Bridge by Kane Road or on the Hawea Flat side of the Clutha River.
The launch can be tracked in the following ways:
• A live feed of the launch is available here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-csbf-downrange-operations
• Track the progress of the flight at the following link, which includes a map showing the balloon’s real-time location, at: https://www.csbf.nasa.gov/map/balloon8/flight729NT.htm.
Ongoing mission updates are also available on NASA’s Super Pressure Balloon blog.
NASA conducts SPB launches from New Zealand in collaboration with the Queenstown Airport Corporation, Queenstown Lake District Council, New Zealand Space Agency, and Airways New Zealand.
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia manages the agency’s scientific balloon flight program with 10 to 15 flights each year from launch sites worldwide. Peraton, which operates NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Texas, provides mission planning, engineering services, and field operations for NASA’s scientific balloon program. The CSBF team has launched more than 1,700 scientific balloons over some 40 years of operations. NASA’s balloons are fabricated by Aerostar. The NASA Balloon Program is funded by the NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate Astrophysics Division.
For more information on NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons
Around the World in 10 Days
NASA’s football-stadium-sized scientific super pressure balloon crossed the 169.24 east longitude line at about 11:32 p.m. EDT, April 25, officially completing its first mid-latitude circumnavigation after launch April 15 (U.S. Eastern time) from Wānaka Airport, New Zealand.
NASA achieved the milestone just 10 days, 3 hours, and 50 minutes after launch. The balloon is maintaining a float altitude around 107,000 feet as it continues its globetrotting journey.
“The balloon is performing exactly the way it was engineered to do, maintaining its shape and flying at a stable altitude despite the heating and cooling of the day-night cycle,” said Debbie Fairbrother, NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program chief. “As we continue to test, validate, and qualify this technology for future flights we’re also performing some cutting-edge science.”
The balloon is flying the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) payload, which has already returned brilliant research images from this flight.
Weather permitting, the balloon can be seen from the ground, especially at sunrise and sunset, as it continues on its globetrotting journey. People can track the real-time location of NASA’s super pressure balloon at this website: https://www.csbf.nasa.gov/map/balloon10/flight728NT.htm.
Next up for NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program is another planned super pressure balloon launch from Wānaka to further test the technology while also flying the Extreme Universe Space Observatory 2 (EUSO-2) science mission. EUSO-2, from the University of Chicago, aims to build on data collected during a 2017 mission. EUSO-2 will detect ultra-high energy cosmic-ray particles from beyond our galaxy as they penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. The origins of these particles are not well known, so the data collected from EUSO-2 will help solve this science mystery. Planned launch attempts will be announced on this blog.
For more information on NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons.
NASA Schedules First Super Pressure Balloon Launch Attempt
WĀNAKA, New Zealand — NASA is targeting Sunday, April 16 (Saturday, April 15 in the United States), to conduct a super pressure balloon (SPB) test flight launching from Wānaka Airport, New Zealand, to further test and qualify the technology, which can offer cost savings compared to space missions. This first launch will also carry the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT), from Princeton University.
“We are excited to be back in Wānaka for two planned balloon missions set to qualify this game-changing technology that enables long-duration flight in a near-space environment for the science community,” said Debbie Fairbrother, NASA’s Balloon Program Office chief. “A lot of different weather factors need to line up to support a launch attempt, and so far, Mother Nature is cooperating with us nicely for this first opportunity.”
NASA will begin flight preparations in the early morning hours Sunday and will continue to evaluate real-time and forecast weather conditions throughout the morning. If weather is conducive for launch, lift-off is scheduled between 8 and 11:30 a.m. locally in New Zealand (between 4 and 7:30 p.m. U.S. EDT Saturday, April 15).
This is the first scheduled launch attempt for NASA’s 2023 Wānaka Balloon Campaign. The window for the campaign opened April 3, but weather conditions haven’t lined up until now.
For those in the local area, the public won’t be allowed at Wānaka Airport on the morning of the launch attempt or to park alongside the airport. However, immediately after lift-off, the balloon will be visible for miles around – the best viewing points will be on the hill on the Hawea side of the Red Bridge by Kane Road or on the Hawea Flat side of the Clutha River.
In addition, the launch can be tracked in the following ways:
A live feed of the launch is available here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-csbf-downrange-operations
Track the progress of the flight at the following link, which includes a map showing the balloon’s real-time location, at: http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/newzealand/wanaka.htm
For subsequent launch attempts, if needed, NASA will announce by 2 p.m. NZST (10 p.m. EDT) if the next day’s forecast weather will support a launch attempt.
For launch, winds need to be light and flowing in a reliable direction both at the surface and at low levels up to about 1,000 feet (300 meters). Winds flowing in opposite directions on the ground and lower levels could have a shearing effect on the balloon. In addition, NASA monitors for favorable stratospheric wind conditions at 110,000 feet (33.5 km), which is where the balloon will float.
After launch the 18.8-million-cubic-foot (532,000 cubic-meter) SPB will ascend to its float altitude where the stratospheric winds will propel it at speeds up to and exceeding 100 knots on a weeks-long journey around the southern hemisphere.
More information on the campaign is available here.
Window Opens for 2023 New Zealand Launch Campaign
The launch window is now open for NASA’s 2023 New Zealand Super Pressure Balloon (SPB) launch campaign aimed to further test and qualify NASA’s SPB technology, which can offer cost savings compared to space missions.
Pictured here, technicians work on the SuperBIT payload and test out the different support and communications systems on the gondola during a hang compatibility test April 3, 2023, at the agency’s scientific balloon launch site in Wānaka, New Zealand.
Two SPB launches are scheduled from Wānaka this year, and on each balloon, NASA will fly science payloads as missions of opportunity. The balloons may be visible from the ground during their flights, which are planned for up to 100 days or more. For more information, see this story.
The team is evaluating weather daily for potential launch opportunities. NASA will announce by 2 p.m. NZST (10 p.m. ET) if the next day’s forecast weather will support a launch attempt.
For launch, winds need to be light and flowing in a reliable direction both at the surface and at low levels up to about 1,000 feet (300 meters). Winds flowing in opposite directions on the ground and lower levels could have a shearing effect on the balloon. In addition, NASA monitors for favorable stratospheric wind conditions at 110,000 feet (33.5 km), which is where the balloon will float.
A live feed of the launch is available here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-csbf-downrange-operations
Track the progress of the flight at the following link, which includes a map showing the balloon’s real-time location, at: https://www.csbf.nasa.gov/map/balloon10/flight728NT.htm
SuperBIT Processing Underway
Technicians from NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program recently performed weight test procedures of the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) payload in advance of planned super pressure balloon flight operations from Wanaka, New Zealand, in 2023.
SuperBIT will use a wide field of view to image large galaxy clusters from a balloon platform in a near-space environment. By measuring the way these massive objects warp the space around them, also called “weak gravitational lensing,” SuperBIT will be able to map the dark matter present in these clusters.
For more information and future status updates, visit this blog as well as nasa.gov/scientificballoons.
NASA Aborts Launch, Closes Out 2022 NZ Campaign
WANAKA, New Zealand—NASA aborted the sixth launch attempt of its super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wanaka, New Zealand, Friday, May 27 (Thursday, May 26 in the United States) due to a ground support equipment issue.
Inflation operations began, but the brakes on a key piece of equipment that guides and feeds the balloon material during launch operations would not release. NASA will investigate the cause of the ground support equipment issue.
“Today’s launch abort was unfortunate and we will investigate the cause to prevent future, similar issues from occurring,” said Debbie Fairbrother, NASA’s Balloon Program Office chief. “While not the ending we were hoping for, I’m proud of the professionalism of our team in ensuring safe operations today and throughout the campaign.”
Today’s launch attempt was the final for the 2022 Wanaka Balloon Campaign. NASA will close out its Wanaka operations and set up for its next campaigns from Sweden and the United States. NASA is scheduled to return to Wanaka in 2023 for two planned super pressure balloon missions.
The 2022 Wanaka super pressure balloon campaign was the fourth in New Zealand since NASA began balloon operations there in 2015. Previous missions were conducted in 2015, 2016, and 2017—all test flights of the super pressure balloon technology.
From travel restrictions due to COVID-19 along with cargo shipping delays, the NASA team overcame a number of challenges for this year’s New Zealand campaign. While NASA was unable to launch this year, the campaign yielded some key successes. Most notably, NASA signed an important lease for hangar space at Wanaka Airport for upcoming super pressure balloon missions. In addition, NASA performed important maintenance and upkeep on its balloon launch pad at the Wanaka airport to ensure readiness for future missions. Throughout the campaign, the team participated in community outreach to share the importance of NASA’s balloon program in supporting science and technology missions that power discovery and innovation.
“We accomplished a lot during this campaign in further establishing our presence in Wanaka for future operations,” said Fairbrother. “I’m one to take the long view on things and I’m super optimistic for the way ahead—I’m looking forward to our return to Wanaka and hopefully with fewer challenges than what we had this year.”
NASA Postpones Balloon Launch; Sets Up For Final Attempt Friday in NZ
WANAKA, New Zealand—NASA postponed the scheduled launch of its super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wanaka, New Zealand, Thursday, May 26 (Wednesday, May 25 in the United States) due to unacceptable wind conditions.
Surface and upper-level winds were over 10 knots, which is well over the limits required to safely conduct launch operations.
“A high-pressure system that would have brought the exact wind conditions we need didn’t arrive in time for today’s launch attempt,” said Debbie Fairbrother, NASA’s Balloon Program Office chief. “At this time, it appears as though the high pressure will be well set up in the area for one final launch attempt for this year’s 2022 Wanaka Campaign.”
NASA has scheduled its sixth and final launch attempt for Friday, May 27 (Thursday, May 26 in the United States) from Wanaka Airport. NASA will begin flight preparations in the early morning hours Friday and will continue to evaluate real-time and forecast weather conditions throughout the morning. If weather and the predicted launch trajectory are conducive for launch, lift-off is scheduled between 8 and 11:30 a.m. locally (between 4 and 7:30 p.m. U.S. EDT Thursday, May 26).
If NASA is unable to launch its super pressure balloon Friday, the team will close out its 2022 Wanaka Campaign in order to meet the mission needs of other planned campaigns in Sweden and the United States. “We’re hopeful that everything will align for this final attempt,” said Fairbrother.
For those in the local area, the public won’t be allowed at Wanaka Airport on the morning of the launch attempt or to park alongside the airport. However, immediately after lift-off, the balloon will be visible for miles around – the best viewing points will be on the hill on the Hawea side of the Red Bridge by Kane Road or on the Hawea Flat side of the Clutha River.
In addition, the launch can be tracked in the following ways:
A live feed of the launch is available here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-csbf-downrange-operations
Track the progress of the flight at the following link, which includes a map showing the balloon’s real-time location, at: http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/newzealand/wanaka.htm
Fifth Launch Attempt Scheduled for NASA Super Pressure Balloon
WANAKA, New Zealand—NASA is targeting Thursday, May 26 (Wednesday, May 25 in the United States), to conduct a super pressure balloon (SPB) test flight launching from Wanaka Airport, New Zealand, on a potential 100-day journey.
NASA will begin flight preparations in the early morning hours Thursday and will continue to evaluate real-time and forecast weather conditions throughout the morning. If weather is conducive for launch, lift-off is scheduled between 8 and 11:30 a.m. locally (between 4 and 7:30 p.m. U.S. EDT Wednesday, May 25).
At this time, forecast weather conditions are favorable for launch, however, the predicted launch flight trajectory is considered marginal.
This is the fifth scheduled launch attempt for NASA’s 2022 Wanaka Balloon Campaign. From high low-level winds to crosswinds and stratospheric winds at 110,000 feet (where the balloon will float), wind conditions have been unacceptable for each attempt thus far.
For those in the local area, the public won’t be allowed at Wanaka Airport on the morning of the launch attempt or to park alongside the airport. However, immediately after lift-off, the balloon will be visible for miles around – the best viewing points will be on the hill on the Hawea side of the Red Bridge by Kane Road or on the Hawea Flat side of the Clutha River.
In addition, the launch can be tracked in the following ways:
A live feed of the launch is available here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-csbf-downrange-operations
Track the progress of the flight at the following link, which includes a map showing the balloon’s real-time location, at: http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/newzealand/wanaka.htm
Crosswinds Scrub Third Balloon Launch Attempt
WANAKA, New Zealand – NASA postponed the scheduled launch of its super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wanaka, New Zealand, Friday, May 13 (Thursday, May 12 in the United States) due to unacceptable wind conditions.
Today’s ground and lower-level winds were over limits and not aligned, which can create a shearing effect during launch operations.
Wind conditions at the surface level need to be light to facilitate work on the payload in the early morning as well as the launch itself. In addition, low-level winds up to 300 meters need to be light. The winds at both the surface and in the lower level need to be aligned in the same direction to support launch.
“One lesson well understood in the balloon community is that Mother Nature is in charge,” said Debbie Fairbrother, NASA’s Balloon Program Office chief. “And with that lesson, we’ve all become very good at practicing patience.”
NASA has no planned launch attempts over the weekend due to poor launch weather conditions. NASA will continue monitoring the weather daily and make its next announcement by 2 p.m. NZST (10 p.m. ET) if the next day’s weather will support a launch attempt.