NASA to Launch 8 Scientific Balloons From New Mexico | Space

NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program has kicked off its annual fall balloon campaign at the agency’s balloon launch facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Eight balloon flights carrying scientific experiments and technology demonstrations are scheduled to launch from mid-August through mid-October.

The flights will support 16 missions, including investigations in the fields of astrophysics, heliophysics, and atmospheric research.

“The annual Fort Sumner campaign is the cornerstone of the NASA Balloon Program operations,” said Andrew Hamilton, acting chief of NASA’s Balloon Program Office. “Not only are we launching a large number of missions, but these flights set the foundation for follow-on missions from our long-duration launch facilities in Antarctica, New Zealand, and Sweden. The Fort Sumner campaign is also a strong focus for our student-based payloads and is an excellent training opportunity for our up-and-coming scientists and engineers.”

Returning to the fall lineup is the EXCITE (Exoplanet Climate Infrared Telescope) mission led by Peter Nagler, principal investigator, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. EXCITE features an astronomical telescope developed to study the atmospheric properties of Jupiter-type exoplanets from near space. EXCITE’s launch was delayed during the 2023 campaign due to weather conditions.

“The whole…