(Updated) NASA will make fifth attempt to launch super pressure balloon on a 100-day journey

On Thursday, May 26, NASA will attempt to launch its super pressure balloon (SPB) test flight from Wanaka Airport, New Zealand on a potential 100-day journey. This is the fifth scheduled launch attempt for the agency's 2022 Wanaka Balloon Campaign.

The lift-off will take place between 8-11:30 a.m. NZST (between 4 and 7:30 p.m. U.S. EDT Wednesday, May 25), if the weather conditions are favourable for launch.

The mission will take the 2.5-ton, football-stadium-sized balloon on a long-duration test flight, which will validate and certify the SPB technology, and the balloon's capability to pressurize at high altitudes. This pressurization, coupled with the stratospheric conditions in the southern hemisphere, enables long-duration flights.

According to NASA, long-duration balloon flights at constant altitudes have been identified as playing an important role in providing inexpensive access to the near-space environment for science and technology. The agency's SPB flights from the southern hemisphere keep the balloon primarily over water and open airspace, which is key for achieving long-duration flight times upward of 100 days.

Update 1

NASA has deferred the scheduled launch of its super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wanaka, New Zealand, due to unacceptable wind conditions. The sixth launch attempt is now scheduled for Friday, May 27 (between 8 and 11:30 a.m. local time) from Wanaka Airport, the agency said.

Update 2

NASA aborted the sixth launch attempt of its super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wanaka, New Zealand, due to a ground support equipment issue, the agency said, adding that it will investigate the cause of the ground support equipment issue.