Nasa launches super pressure balloon from New Zealand

Wellington: Nasa successfully launched a super pressure balloon from New Zealand’s South Island Wanaka Airport on Tuesday to conduct near-space scientific investigations.

The launch marks the fifth attempt to get the massive balloon airborne, with previous bids thwarted by bad weather, Nasa said in a release.

Long-duration balloon flights at constant altitudes play an important role in providing inexpensive access to the near-space environment for science and technology.

The 532,000 cubic metres (18.8 million cubic feet) balloon is expected to circumnavigate the globe about the southern hemisphere’s mid-latitudes once every one to three weeks, depending on wind speeds in the stratosphere, Nasa said. The aim is for it remain airborne for more than 100 days.