NASA planning two super pressure balloon launches from Wānaka

NASA is planning two super pressure balloon (SPB) launches from Wānaka, New Zealand, in 2023, primarily to test the agency's SPB technology, but NASA also plans to fly a science payload as a mission of opportunity on each balloon.

NASA has not yet announced the opening of their Super Pressure Balloon launch window. Once the window opens, NASA will announce by 2 p.m. NZST (10 p.m. ET) if the next day’s forecast weather will support a launch attempt.

The launches can be tracked in the following ways:

• A live feed of the launch is available here: https://video.ibm.com/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

NASA conducts SPB launches from New Zealand in collaboration with the Queenstown Airport Corporation, Queenstown Lakes District Council, New Zealand Space Agency, and Airways New Zealand. Wānaka is NASA’s dedicated launch site for mid-latitude, long-duration balloon missions.

For more information, please see the Super Pressure Balloon Blog here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/superpressureballoon/