6.2.4 Tillamook, OR
The Johnson Near Space Center is the first commercial balloon launch facility to
become operative in the U.S. It is situated at the Tillamook Airport from which, in
the 1950’s, the U.S. Navy and the Air Force launched stratospheric balloons. The
facility is managed by the Near Space Corporation (NSC) and began operations in
the spring of 2013. See Section 5.5 for details.
6.2.5 Other Commercial Sites
Other sites used in the past several years are:
• Bend, AZ.
• Benson, AZ.
• Marana, AZ.
• Page, AZ.
• St. Johns, AZ.
• Laramie, WY.
• Roswell, NM.
• McCall, ID.
6.3 INTERNATIONAL
6.3.1 Aire sur l’Adour, France
Aire sur l’Adour in southwestern France is the main launch base used by CNES,
and is also home for the CNES balloon operations team. Flights from there have
been conducted since the early 1960’s. Currently its primary use is qualification
tests of balloon technology and operational procedures but it also launches small
balloons such as Sounding Balloons and recovers payloads in areas near Aire sur
l’Adour in coordination with air traffic control authorities.
6.3.2 Timmins, Canada
The Timmins Stratospheric Balloon Base is a launching facility at the Victor
M. Power airport, in Timmins, Ontario, established as a joint effort by the Canadian
Space Agency (CSA) and CNES. It is currently the only permanent launch base
with dedicated facilities in Canada. In 2012, CNES wrote the specifications and
CSA organized the support of the City of Timmins for the construction work. It
was completed 9 months later. After test qualification flights in 2013 there were
scientific balloon campaigns from there in 2014, 2015 and 2018 on behalf of the
Canadian STRATOS program.
6.3 International 141
The Johnson Near Space Center is the first commercial balloon launch facility to
become operative in the U.S. It is situated at the Tillamook Airport from which, in
the 1950’s, the U.S. Navy and the Air Force launched stratospheric balloons. The
facility is managed by the Near Space Corporation (NSC) and began operations in
the spring of 2013. See Section 5.5 for details.
6.2.5 Other Commercial Sites
Other sites used in the past several years are:
• Bend, AZ.
• Benson, AZ.
• Marana, AZ.
• Page, AZ.
• St. Johns, AZ.
• Laramie, WY.
• Roswell, NM.
• McCall, ID.
6.3 INTERNATIONAL
6.3.1 Aire sur l’Adour, France
Aire sur l’Adour in southwestern France is the main launch base used by CNES,
and is also home for the CNES balloon operations team. Flights from there have
been conducted since the early 1960’s. Currently its primary use is qualification
tests of balloon technology and operational procedures but it also launches small
balloons such as Sounding Balloons and recovers payloads in areas near Aire sur
l’Adour in coordination with air traffic control authorities.
6.3.2 Timmins, Canada
The Timmins Stratospheric Balloon Base is a launching facility at the Victor
M. Power airport, in Timmins, Ontario, established as a joint effort by the Canadian
Space Agency (CSA) and CNES. It is currently the only permanent launch base
with dedicated facilities in Canada. In 2012, CNES wrote the specifications and
CSA organized the support of the City of Timmins for the construction work. It
was completed 9 months later. After test qualification flights in 2013 there were
scientific balloon campaigns from there in 2014, 2015 and 2018 on behalf of the
Canadian STRATOS program.
6.3 International 141