Fourth Balloon of NASA Scientific Balloon Campaign Launches
The BOOP! mission was launched on a scientific balloon from NASA’s launch facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, at 8:03 a.m. MDT (10:03 a.m. EDT) on Sept. 13, 2026. This is the second year for NASA’s Balloon Program Office’s Balloon Optimization Opportunity Payload, or BOOP!, which allows multiple technology instruments to be tested during flight for future missions. The mission carried…
NASA launched the BOOP! mission aboard a scientific balloon from its facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, on September 13, 2026, at 8:03 a.m. MDT (10:03 a.m. EDT). This marks the second year for the Balloon Optimization Opportunity Payload, allowing multiple technology instruments to be tested during flight. The mission carried experiments for future planetary exploration, mapping high-energy space radiation, and evaluating a new flight camera system.
The balloon and payload reached an altitude of approximately 123,000 feet and flew for 4 hours and 29 minutes.
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