Balloon

High-altitude platform stations (HAPS) are effective tools for communication and surveillance because they operate from the stratosphere, much closer to earth than satellites. But how do they stay on track?

When NASA's high-altitude balloon lifts off from Antarctica in December 2023 at the start of its up to four week voyage over the South Pole, it will carry one of the largest mirrors ever to fly on such a high-tech gas bag.

When it comes to taking high-res aerial photographs, we generally look to satellites, drones or full-size aircraft. Colorado-based Urban Sky's new Microballoon system, however, is claimed to deliver higher-resolution images at a much lower cost.

As handy as multicopter drones are, the endlessly spinning blades are noisy, energy-intensive and potentially dangerous. So Japanese company NTT Docomo has now unveiled bouncy blimp-like drones that get around using an ultrasonic propulsion system.

While the Hubble Space Telescope has provided us with a wealth of data, getting it into orbit was quite expensive. The SuperBIT telescope is an intriguing alternative, as it hangs beneath a balloon instead of being launched by a rocket.

Cape Canaveral's Space Perspective has officially started selling tickets for the highest balloon ride of them all: a six-hour floating journey to the edge of space, where you can watch the sunrise. At US$125,000 a seat, flights start in 2024.

Google’s parent company Alphabet has decided to ground a venture aimed at bringing internet connectivity to remote corners of the globe through stratospheric balloons, announcing today that its Project Loon will be winding down.

An internet-beaming balloon has broken a flight record, staying aloft in the stratosphere for 312 days straight. Developed and launched by Loon, the balloon circumnavigated the globe for 10 months, demonstrating the resilience of the network.

Balloons may seem outdated, but for high-flying scientific instruments they’re making a comeback. NASA has now unveiled ASTHROS, a new infrared telescope that will be carried to the edge of space by a balloon the size of a football stadium.

By turning to the paper-based art form of kirigami for inspiration, a team of Harvard researchers has developed a system for programmable balloons that can take of all kinds of “crazy” shapes when inflated.

In recent years, people have used balloons to carry items ranging from teddy bears to chicken sandwiches to the edge of outer space. Now, Florida-based startup Space Perspective has announced plans to do the same thing with paying human passengers.

​For many of us earthbound types, hot air ballooning can be quite intimidating. Italian aviation entrepreneur Leandro Corradini is trying to make it less so, with his relatively simple and compact FlyDOO Light Sport Balloon system.