NASA Scientific Balloon Flights to Lift Off From Antarctica | Travel News

NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program is returning to Antarctica for its annual Long-Duration Balloon Campaign. Two balloon flights will carry nine missions into near space, with launch operations beginning mid-December at the Long Duration Balloon camp near McMurdo Station on the Ross Ice Shelf.

“Antarctica serves as a key site for long-duration balloon missions, and we’re excited to return to this unique environment,” said Andrew Hamilton, acting chief of NASA’s Balloon Program Office. “The campaign’s success relies on incredible collaboration and support from the U.S. National Science Foundation, New Zealand, and the U.S. Air Force.”

This year’s campaign features investigations in astrophysics, space biology, heliospheric research, upper atmospheric studies, and technology demonstrations. The primary missions include:

• GAPS (General Anti-Particle Spectrometer): Led by Columbia University, this experiment aims to detect anti-matter particles produced by dark matter interactions, which are otherwise shielded by Earth’s atmosphere. GAPS seeks to explore a previously inaccessible energy range of dark matter.
• Salter Test Flight Universal: Managed by NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, this mission will validate balloon technologies and carry multiple smaller piggyback experiments.

Piggyback Missions:

1. MARSBOx: This Naval Research Laboratory experiment exposes a fungus, Aspergillus niger, to Mars-like conditions to study its survival mechanisms, potentially aiding astronaut radiation protection.

2. EMIDSS-6: Led by Mexico’s National Polytechnical Institute, this platform collects stratospheric data to advance climate change studies.
3. SPARROW-6: A NASA Wallops project testing an ultrasonic anemometer for wind measurements in the balloon’s float environment.
4. WALRUSS: Demonstrates a sensor package for ultraviolet spectrum and ozone concentration measurements.
5. INDIGO: A data recorder from NASA Wallops designed to study gondola dynamics during all flight phases.
6. FLOATing DRAGON Challenge: Two student-built projects—Purdue University’s Purdue DRAGONfly and the University of Notre Dame’s IRIS v3—will test aerial data recovery systems dropped from high altitudes.

NASA’s zero-pressure balloons, capable of lifting up to 8,000 pounds, are ideal for polar summer conditions. They maintain extended flights thanks to Antarctica’s continuous daylight and stable winds, enabling significant data collection while circling the continent.

Managed by NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, the balloon program conducts 10–15 flights annually worldwide. Peraton, operating from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, provides engineering and operational support. With over 1,700 launches in 40 years, NASA balloons, made by Aerostar, continue to advance science in extreme environments.

For mission tracking and more details, visit NASA's Scientific Balloon Program website.