NASA successfully initiated the first of two scheduled scientific balloon flights for its 2025 Super Pressure Balloon (SPB) Campaign from Wānaka Airport, New Zealand. The launch took place at 10:44 a.m. New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) on Thursday, April 17, corresponding to 6:44 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Wednesday, April 16, in the United States. This launch marks a significant milestone in NASA’s continued efforts to conduct long-duration scientific missions in the upper atmosphere.
The balloon, with an impressive volume of 18.8 million cubic feet, is engineered to maintain constant altitude throughout its journey. It is expected to circumnavigate the Southern Hemisphere at mid-latitudes for a period exceeding 100 days. The flight aims to collect valuable data from the stratosphere, providing a cost-effective platform for scientific payloads in a near-space environment.
Unfavorable weather conditions aborted five previous attempts before this successful launch. The mission team faced a series of delays as they awaited optimal weather to ensure the safety and success of the launch. According to NASA officials, suitable conditions include calm surface winds and consistent wind direction up to approximately 1,000 feet (or 300 meters). Additionally, wind patterns in the stratosphere—specifically at the target float altitude of roughly 110,000 feet (33.5 kilometers)—are closely analyzed to predict balloon trajectory and performance.
NASA’s super pressure balloon technology offers several advantages over conventional zero-pressure balloons. While zero-pressure balloons vent gas and lose altitude over time, superpressure balloons maintain internal pressure, allowing them to float at a consistent altitude during day and night cycles. This capability enables longer missions, broader data collection opportunities, and improved tracking stability for onboard experiments.
The balloon launched from Wānaka—known for its favorable stratospheric wind patterns and minimal air traffic—will gradually ascend over the coming hours. Once it reaches its cruising altitude, the balloon will fully inflate and stabilize, entering what is known as “float.” At this stage, the onboard scientific instruments will begin their observational work, potentially gathering data related to atmospheric science, astrophysics, or engineering technology testing.
NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program, managed by the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, serves as an essential component of the agency’s suborbital research platform. The program allows scientists from institutions worldwide to deploy experiments into the near-space environment at a fraction of the cost and risk associated with orbital missions. With balloon flights capable of lasting weeks to months, researchers gain extended access to the upper atmosphere for various scientific investigations.
This mission from New Zealand represents not only a technological achievement but also a reaffirmation of international collaboration in space exploration. Wānaka has served as NASA’s launch site for SPB campaigns since 2015, with support from local authorities and aviation agencies. The remote location offers an ideal setting for extended balloon flights without interference from commercial flight paths.
Updates on the progress of the flight will be made available through NASA’s Wallops blog as the mission unfolds. The second planned launch in the 2025 campaign is expected to follow in the coming weeks, pending suitable weather conditions.
