NASA balloon
launch at
Wanaka Airport
After two successful launches in 2015 and 2016, NASA
(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has confirmed
Wanaka, New Zealand, as one of its global sites to launch
unmanned scientific research balloons into near space.
NASA is set to return to Wanaka in March 2017 to perform
another flight test of its super pressure balloon. In addition, the
balloon will fly the University of Chicago’s Extreme Universe
Space Observatory (EUSO-SPB) payload on this mission.
EUSO-SPB is a high-energy cosmic ray particle astrophysics
payload that will test a fluorescence detector and its
supporting technologies under the severe operating conditions
of the stratosphere. This suborbital flight is a precursor for
a mission being planned to launch the EUSO telescope and
install it on the International Space Station (ISS).
• Twenty-five NASA staff are expected to be in Wanaka for two months to provide launch services support for
the launch
• The 2017 scientific payload will be flown on behalf of the University of Chicago’s Extreme Universe Space
Observatory team. A team of 10 scientists will be on-site working with NASA to launch and monitor the payload
• Various New Zealand aviation bodies, including Wanaka and Queenstown airports, Airways New Zealand and the
Civil Aviation Authority, have been involved in helping NASA work through the logistics of launching the 2,377kg
(5,241 pounds) balloon from Wanaka Airport
• A range of local agencies, from Queenstown Lakes District Council to fire brigades, have also provided planning,
logistics and communications support for the project
• NASA is building a dedicated launch pad at the airport, once again showing their confidence in Wanaka as a
launch location.
Basic facts
Questions such as
“HOW DID THE UNIVERSE,
GALAXIES, STARS, AND
PLANETS FORM AND EVOLVE?”
and “ARE THERE EARTH-LIKE
PLANETS BEYOND OUR
SOLAR SYSTEM?”
are being answered by NASA with
the help of experiments flown
on scientific balloons. Scientific
research balloons gather data that
is used to investigate the origins of
the universe, assess the effects of
cosmic rays on the atmosphere and
continue the hunt for planets.
The balloon is LAUNCHED by
filling it with helium with the
payload section suspended
beneath it. As the balloon rises up
through the atmosphere, the helium
expands, filling out the balloon until
it reaches float altitude in TWO TO
THREE HOURS.
NASA is planning to use the NEW
LAUNCH PAD currently being built at
the northeast of the Wanaka Airport
runway. NASA conducted a safety
analysis associated with the new
launch pad and only one home is
impacted. NASA and Wanaka Airport
staff will be in direct contact with the
resident and airport users to provide
updated information.
He
Helium
In accordance with NASA’s stringent
health and safety protocols, residents
living along the flight path within a
2.1KM RADIUS of Wanaka Airport
will be asked to remain indoors until
the balloon is out of range. This
will affect, at most, 12 households
for a 30-minute window between
approximately 7am and 11am on
launch day as the balloon lifts off and
begins its ascent.
WANAKA
AIRPORT
2.1km
HELIUM
PAYLOAD
The balloon is 114.5M (375.6 feet)
in diameter and 69M (226 feet)
high when fully inflated at its float
altitude of 33.5KM (110,000 feet).
The 2,377KG balloon, when fully
inflated, is a similar size to Dunedin’s
Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Helium, the same
gas used to fill party
balloons, is used
in NASA’s scientific
balloons. The largest
of NASA’s operational
scientific balloons
can carry suspended
payloads weighing up
to 3,600KG (8,000
pounds), about the
weight of three small
cars. They can fly up to
42KM (26 miles) high
and stay there for up to
two weeks or longer. The
super pressure balloon
flying from Wanaka
is 532,357 CUBIC
METERS (18.8 million
cubic feet) in volume
when fully inflated.
The official countdown will begin
around midnight on the day before
the launch, and the balloon will be
launched on the following morning
between 7 AND 11AM, subject to
calm wind conditions. If the wind is
not agreeable for launch, it will be
delayed at least 24 hours.
00 00 00
HOURS
12
HOUSEHOLDS
30 MIN
WINDOW
BETWEEN 7AM
AND 11AM
SECS
114.5m
6
The balloon is UNMANNED and
will be monitored by the Columbia
Scientific Balloon Facility in
Palestine, Texas.
MINS
2,377kg
STATE HIGHWAY
6 WILL BE
TEMPORARILY
CLOSED AT LUGGATE
with a detour via Hawea
Flat for traffic between
Cromwell and Wanaka.
Questions and answers
WHY WANAKA
AIRPORT?
According to NASA experts, Wanaka is the perfect location for several reasons: its latitude, calm
conditions and dispersed population around the airport, particularly in the east where the balloon is
likely to drift.
HOW DOES
THE LAUNCH
PROCESS
WORK?
The balloon will be connected to a crane and inflated with helium at Wanaka Airport. As it rises, the
lower atmospheric pressures will cause the balloon to fully inflate.
HOW WILL THE
BALLOON BE
KEPT SAFE IN
CONTROLLED
AIRSPACE?
NASA is working closely with Airways to plan airspace logistics for the launch. Airways will coordinate
with NASA to determine an optimal launch time to ensure minimal impact on normal scheduled
aircraft operations, and facilitate safe passage of the balloon through controlled airspace. In the days
leading up to and during the launch, NASA will provide Airways with the balloon’s predicted trajectory
based on wind and weather conditions, ensuring Airways has the most up-to-date information to
safely manage the airspace.
It will rise at approximately 1,000ft (or 300m) per minute and travel to 110,000 feet (around 33.5km).
It typically takes two to three hours to reach this float altitude. From there, the goal is for the balloon
to remain airborne for 100 days. After the mission is complete, flight operators will assess a safe
location for bringing the balloon down and then recovery operations will begin. The previous two
Wanaka balloon launch attempts remained airborne for 32 days and 46 days respectively.
35KM
100 DAYS
33.5KM
30KM
25KM
20KM
15KM
300M PER MINUTE
10KM
5KM
WANAKA AIRPORT
WANAKA AIRPORT
A SAFE LOCATION
WHAT IS THE
BALLOON
MADE OUT OF?
NASA’s balloons are constructed of polyethylene film, similar to the type of film used in sandwich
wrap, but stronger and more durable. The film for this balloon is only 0.0038 centimetres thick and is
divided into 280 banana-peel-shaped sections, called gores, and sealed together under heat.
WHY IS THERE
A SAFETY
ZONE ACROSS
PARTS OF THE
AIRPORT?
NASA is a world-leading
operator with a stringent
health and safety plan,
and the Columbia
Scientific Balloon Facility
has a proven track record
of safe launches, having
successfully overseen
more than 1,700 launches.
Having a safety zone is
standard procedure for
a NASA balloon launch
and is a precautionary
measure that will affect, at
most, one household.
CAN THE
PUBLIC WATCH
THE LAUNCH?
Immediately after lift-off the balloon will be visible for miles around so people will not need to be at
the airport to see it. The best viewing points will be on the Hawea Flat side of the Clutha River, on Mt
Iron or on the hill on the Hawea side of the Red Bridge by Kane Rd.
HOW DOES
THE LAUNCH
BENEFIT THE
REGION?
The project has generated multiple positives including significant economic and tourism benefits.
Wanaka Airport has secured an ongoing role in the NASA balloon launch programme for up to
ten years and is now part of a select global group of NASA test sites located in the United States,
Sweden, Australia and Antarctica.
The project has brought significant economic benefits to both Wanaka and New Zealand with at least
US$1.25 million being injected directly into the regional and national economy in 2016. For the 2017
launch, NASA is building a dedicated launch pad at the airport, once again showing their confidence
in Wanaka as a launch location. In addition, the international publicity and goodwill generated
by Wanaka’s brand association with NASA - one of the world’s most internationally recognised
organisations - is invaluable in increasing Wanaka’s profile and putting it on the global map.
HOW DO I FIND
OUT MORE?
• If you live within the 2.1km safety zone, NASA and Wanaka Airport staff will be in direct contact
with you.
• If you live in the safety zone or are involved with the airport as a user or operator, NASA and Wanaka
Airport staff will be in direct contact with you.
• To track the flight visit www.csbf.nasa.gov/newzealand/wanaka.htm.
• For more information on NASA’s Scientific Balloon Programme, visit www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons.