NASA’s 2022 campaign in Wānaka has ended without a successful launch of its super pressure balloon.
The sixth launch attempt was aborted over the weekend after the brakes on a key piece of equipment wouldn’t release.
Earlier launch attempts were stopped by weather conditions.
The 2022 Wānaka super pressure balloon campaign was the fourth in New Zealand since NASA began balloon operations in the Queenstown Lakes district in 2015.
Previous missions were conducted in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
While NASA was unable to launch this year, they counted the campaign as a success after signing a lease for hangar space at Wānaka Airport for upcoming super pressure balloon missions.
NASA also performed important maintenance and upkeep on its balloon launch pad at the airport.
The programme will return to Wānaka next year.
The team’s next campaigns are in Sweden and the US.
