NASA's Scientific Balloon Program is heading back to Antarctica for its annual Long-Duration Balloon Campaign. This year, two balloon flights will carry nine scientific missions to near-space, with launch operations kicking off in mid-December at the Long Duration Balloon camp, located near McMurdo Station on the Ross Ice Shelf.
“Antarctica is a prime location for long-duration balloon missions, and we’re thrilled to return to this exceptional setting,” said Andrew Hamilton, acting chief of NASA’s Balloon Program Office. “The campaign’s success is made possible through remarkable collaboration and support from the U.S. National Science Foundation, New Zealand, and the U.S. Air Force.”
The 2024 campaign encompasses studies in astrophysics, space biology, heliospheric science, upper atmospheric research, and technology development. Key missions include:
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GAPS (General Anti-Particle Spectrometer): Conducted by Columbia University, this mission aims to detect antimatter particles produced by dark matter interactions, exploring an energy range previously inaccessible from Earth.
- Salter Test Flight Universal: Coordinated by NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, this flight will test new balloon technologies while carrying multiple smaller experiments.
Additional Experiments:
- MARSBOx: A Naval Research Laboratory project exposing the fungus Aspergillus niger to Mars-like conditions to study its resilience and its potential role in shielding astronauts from radiation.
- EMIDSS-6: Led by Mexico’s National Polytechnical Institute, this mission collects stratospheric data to contribute to climate change research.
- SPARROW-6: A NASA Wallops experiment testing an ultrasonic anemometer to measure wind in the balloon’s float environment.
- WALRUSS: A demonstration of sensors for ultraviolet spectrum analysis and ozone concentration measurements.
- INDIGO: A NASA Wallops data recorder designed to analyze gondola dynamics throughout the flight.
- FLOATing DRAGON Challenge: Student projects from Purdue University (Purdue DRAGONfly) and the University of Notre Dame (IRIS v3) will test high-altitude data recovery systems.
NASA’s zero-pressure balloons, which can carry up to 8,000 pounds, are particularly suited to the polar summer’s constant daylight and stable wind patterns. These conditions allow the balloons to circle Antarctica and gather data over extended periods.
The balloon program, managed by NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, conducts 10–15 flights annually across the globe. With engineering and operational support from Peraton and over 1,700 launches in its 40-year history, the program continues to advance science in extreme environments. NASA's balloons, built by Aerostar, remain pivotal in enabling groundbreaking research.
For live mission updates and more information, visit NASA's Scientific Balloon Program website.
