Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Gabriel Garde, head of NASA’s Balloon Program, leads the return to Wānaka, New Zealand, to flight-qualify giant super pressure balloons for 100-day missions in near-space.
The 18.8-million-cubic-foot balloon, the size of a stadium, will soar at 110,000 feet, twice as high as commercial jets—testing long-duration flight for future space science.
Credit : NASA
NASA’s HIWIND mission, led by National Center for Atmospheric Research, will measure winds in Earth’s thermosphere—key to understanding ionosphere changes that disrupt GPS and communications.
Credit : NASA
The CoMIC payload from University of Massachusetts Lowell will capture high-altitude airglow and light scattering, studying red and green emissions invisible to the naked eye.
Credit : NASA
The HIGS experiment from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Sandia Labs will measure infrasound from Earth’s quakes and eruptions—preparing NASA to one day listen to Venus’ seismic activity via balloons.
Representative pic
MOANA, led by Sandia Labs and Swedish Institute of Space Physics, will hunt for ultra-low-frequency sound waves in the stratosphere, revealing hidden acoustic signals across the globe.
NASA’s INDIGO device will record every jolt and shake as balloon gondolas launch, float, and land—critical data for designing safer payload deliveries from near-space.
Representative pic
The SPARROW-7 ultrasonic sensor will measure wind speeds and directions around the balloon at high altitude—vital for stabilizing flights and guiding future missions.
Representative pic
The balloon, guided by stratospheric winds, will circle the Southern Hemisphere, offering stable, long-term platforms for science missions and nighttime sky observations.
Representative pic