High Altitude Balloons Team

A photo of the edge of space, taken by SSI-23, Gemini

The Balloon team constructs and launches high altitude latex balloons with experimental payloads. To date, the team has launched and recovered 25 high altitude balloons to as high as 120,000 feet with thermal controls, satellite communication, and scientific payloads. They have launched a balloon halfway across the continental United States and are currently working on a full transcontinental launch. The HAB team has launched 26 payloads over the course of two years - all but three of which have been recovered fully intact, yielding an 88% success rate. The Balloons Team Faculty Advisor is Dr. Marco Pavone.

Balloon payloads are launched with state-of-the-art equipment constantly re-envisioned by the team. Recent additions include altitude control mechanics for latex balloons, including a gas venting valve and ballast dispenser, as well as a custom flight control system, two-way satellite communications, an intelligent altitude control algorithm, and more. The goal of the team is to push the bounds on its current latex balloon flight hardware, both in terms of flight time and flight distance.

The current team leads are Brandon Vabre and Kirill Safin.