Complete list of stratospheric balloon launches by year, ordered chronologically, with flight details, specific payload, images, etc.
Detailed information and launch logs for main balloon launch facilities including balloon bases, airports, and ships around the world.
Ordered chronologically, detailed accounts of many balloon missions containing description of the payloads, details of the flight, pictures, videos and links to external references.
The stories that shaped scientific ballooning. Events and happenings, many of them memorable and epic, some others funny, a few curious or strange and even some tragedies.
Brief overview of those individuals, organizations, programs and events that had contributed to some extent to the development of scientific ballooning.
Remembering every month important events and dates of scientific ballooning history
In this edition:
World Balloon News is a somewhat regular bulletin containing balloon-related news of what's going on in the field, some speculation (fancy term for "insider data" from sources I can't reveal), historical images, and details about the new contents that week after week enrich this humble project.
Contents:
Left: The best picture of the Chinese balloon, taken by Frank Melliere above Illinois
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Launched from | In flight since | Payload or experiment | Last known status |
---|---|---|---|
Santa Fe County (NM) | 1/27/2024 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 673 | STILL IN FLIGHT >>>> Last known position (3/11/2024) |
Santa Fe County (NM) | 3/28/2024 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 676 | PROBABLY STILL IN FLIGHT >>>> Last known position (5/15/2024) |
Indiantown County (FL) | 4/22/2024 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 684 | STILL IN FLIGHT >>>> Follow the flight in real-time |
Hurley (SD) | 5/14/2024 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 686 | STILL IN FLIGHT >>>> Follow the flight in real-time |
Launch base | Date | Experiment | Flight duration |
---|---|---|---|
Hurley (SD) | 2024/5/1 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 685 | 46 h |
Hurley (SD) | 2024/4/5 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 681 | ~ 3 d |
Hurley (SD) | 2024/4/4 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 682 | 8 h |
Hurley (SD) | 2024/4/12 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 679 | 28 h |
Silver Springs (NV) | 2024/2/27 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 678 | 6 d |
Silver Springs (NV) | 2024/2/27 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT N251TH | 6 d |
Santa Fe County (NM) | 2024/3/29 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 680 | 28 h |
Spaceport Tucson (AZ) | 2024/3/9 | STRATOLLITE | 2 d 7 h |
McMurdo | 2023/12/31 | GUSTO (Galactic / Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory) | 57 d |
Spaceport Tucson (AZ) | 2024/2/23 | MANTIS-1 | 4 h 20 m |
Hurley (SD) | 2024/2/21 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 675 | 29 h |
Hurley (SD) | 2023/10/23 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 661 | 95 d |
Santa Fe County (NM) | 2024/1/25 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 674 | 3 h 20 m |
Hurley (SD) | 2024/1/20 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 672 | 7 h |
McMurdo | 2024/1/10 | AESOP-Lite + ANIHALA | 46 h |
Fort Sumner (NM) | 2023/9/7 | HASP 2023 (High Altitude Student Platform) | 13 h |
Tillamook (OR) | 2023/9/6 | PAYLOAD UNKNOWN | 5 h |
Fort Sumner (NM) | 2023/9/27 | JPL REMOTE | 15 h |
Fort Sumner (NM) | 2023/9/25 | FIREBALL (Faint Intergalactic-medium Redshifted Emission Balloon) | 11 h |
ESRANGE | 2023/9/24 | BEXUS 32 (Balloon EXperiments for University Students) | 3 h 31 m |
ESRANGE | 2023/9/21 | BEXUS 33 (Balloon EXperiments for University Students) | --- |
Hurley (SD) | 2023/9/12 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 660 | 2 d 9 h |
Hurley (SD) | 2023/9/8 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 659 | 5 d 4 h |
Inyokern (CA) | 2023/8/28 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 657 | 4 d |
Timmins (ON) | 2023/8/8 | COMICS | 7 h 45 m |
Dagget (CA) | 2023/8/5 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 650 | 55 m |
Hurley (SD) | 2023/8/1 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 879TH | 3 d |
Inyokern (CA) | 2023/8/28 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 654 | 3 d 5 h |
Inyokern (CA) | 2023/8/28 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 656 | 3 d 7 h |
Inyokern (CA) | 2023/8/28 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 655 | 2 d 6 h |
Hurley (SD) | 2023/8/30 | SOLD (Stratospheric Optical Link Demonstration) | 7 h 30 m |
Fort Sumner (NM) | 2023/8/27 | GRAPE (Gamma-Ray Polarimeter Experiment) + ComPair | 6 h 30 m |
Timmins (ON) | 2023/8/27 | pre-TRANSAT | 14 h 30 m |
Dagget (CA) | 2023/8/11 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 649 | 13 d 3 h |
Timmins (ON) | 2023/8/22 | HICIBAS | 5 h 10 m |
Dagget (CA) | 2023/8/5 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 648 | 14 d 12 h |
Fort Sumner (NM) | 2023/8/19 | SALTER TEST FLIGHT | 5 h |
Page (AZ) | 2023/8/16 | STRATOLLITE - GRYPHON 29 | 11 h |
Roswell (NM) | 2023/8/16 | SCEYE- STRATOSPHERIC AIRSHIP | 3 h |
Timmins (ON) | 2023/8/15 | BESAFE | --- |
Dagget (CA) | 2023/8/11 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 652 | 15 h 45 m |
Dagget (CA) | 2023/8/9 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 651 | 2 d 7 h |
Hurley (SD) | 2023/7/21 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 638 | 10 d 22 h |
Taiki | 2023/7/9 | RERA #3 (Rubber balloon Experiment for Reentry capsule with thin-type Aeroshell) | ~ 2 h |
Taiki | 2023/7/8 | RERA #2 (Rubber balloon Experiment for Reentry capsule with thin-type Aeroshell) | ~ 2 h |
Hurley (SD) | 2023/6/28 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 635 | 8 d 19 h |
Taiki | 2023/7/27 | GRAMS (Gamma-Ray and AntiMatter Survey) | 3 h 20 m |
Taiki | 2023/7/26 | MABE-2 (Mars Airplane Balloon Experiment Two) | 2 h |
Hurley (SD) | 2023/5/3 | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 628 | 83 d 8 h |
Page (AZ) | 2023/7/24 | TECHRISE STUDENT CHALLENGE | --- |