The site includes a main building for the integration of the flight trains and the
scientific payloads. It includes a high bay work area of 350 m
2
(3,767 ft
2
). The
second floor includes the operations control room.
Another building houses the payload Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) area
of 300 m
2
(3,329 ft
2
) with a height of 7.5 m (24.6 ft) under a crane hook that can
host up to five payloads simultaneously.
A third building similar in construction to the AIT but somewhat smaller, is
used as a storage shelter for the heavy launch support equipment.
The circular launch area on the east end of runway 10-28 has a diameter of
400 m (1,300 ft) in order to launch the largest balloon available in the French program, a Zodiac with a volume of 800,000 m
3
(28 million ft
3
).
The CSA team is in charge of all safety, communication with air traffic control,
cartography, radio soundings and data, and also the recovery of the balloon and
flight trains following landing. CNES is responsible for the science instrument
and payload. The first scientific balloon campaign was held successfully in the
summer of 2014 and repeated the next year. There were several flights in 2018.
The last flight on August 24, 2018 was a CARMEN gondola for the Flights and
Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST) experiment.
There was an aborted flight attempt in 2019. No flights were attempted in 2020
due to Covid-19.
For a 1:11 minute video of the FAST launch in 2018, go to:
https://youtu.be/EKNYN9tW3Sw
6.3.3 Longyearbyen Airport Svalbard, Norway
At 78°N, Svalbard is the most northerly launch site. Being significantly closer to
the North Pole than Esrange it has potential for launching long-duration summer
circumpolar flights. This type of flight is possible using standard ZPB and taking
advantage of the large-scale cyclonic winds which circulate around the pole.
In 2002, studies were conducted in various parts of the archipelago. No site was
selected. In March the following year, Longyearbyen Airport was found to have
the necessary infrastructure (including the airport) to meet the needs of a balloon
launch campaign. A statistical survey of the surface winds for the past 10 years
showed that there was a window of between 13 and 22 days in the summer with
winds that were sufficiently calm and stable for launching balloons having large
volumes. In June the first flights were conducted from the Longyearbyen airport
using small balloons to obtain very valuable information on the wind circulation
patterns in the polar vortex. The operations were conducted by staff from ISTAR
under contract with the Italian Space Agency. The experiments were repeated in
subsequent years, some carrying small scientific payloads. During the last series
flown in 2006, an historical landmark was achieved when the Polar Explorer for
142 Launch Sites
scientific payloads. It includes a high bay work area of 350 m
2
(3,767 ft
2
). The
second floor includes the operations control room.
Another building houses the payload Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) area
of 300 m
2
(3,329 ft
2
) with a height of 7.5 m (24.6 ft) under a crane hook that can
host up to five payloads simultaneously.
A third building similar in construction to the AIT but somewhat smaller, is
used as a storage shelter for the heavy launch support equipment.
The circular launch area on the east end of runway 10-28 has a diameter of
400 m (1,300 ft) in order to launch the largest balloon available in the French program, a Zodiac with a volume of 800,000 m
3
(28 million ft
3
).
The CSA team is in charge of all safety, communication with air traffic control,
cartography, radio soundings and data, and also the recovery of the balloon and
flight trains following landing. CNES is responsible for the science instrument
and payload. The first scientific balloon campaign was held successfully in the
summer of 2014 and repeated the next year. There were several flights in 2018.
The last flight on August 24, 2018 was a CARMEN gondola for the Flights and
Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST) experiment.
There was an aborted flight attempt in 2019. No flights were attempted in 2020
due to Covid-19.
For a 1:11 minute video of the FAST launch in 2018, go to:
https://youtu.be/EKNYN9tW3Sw
6.3.3 Longyearbyen Airport Svalbard, Norway
At 78°N, Svalbard is the most northerly launch site. Being significantly closer to
the North Pole than Esrange it has potential for launching long-duration summer
circumpolar flights. This type of flight is possible using standard ZPB and taking
advantage of the large-scale cyclonic winds which circulate around the pole.
In 2002, studies were conducted in various parts of the archipelago. No site was
selected. In March the following year, Longyearbyen Airport was found to have
the necessary infrastructure (including the airport) to meet the needs of a balloon
launch campaign. A statistical survey of the surface winds for the past 10 years
showed that there was a window of between 13 and 22 days in the summer with
winds that were sufficiently calm and stable for launching balloons having large
volumes. In June the first flights were conducted from the Longyearbyen airport
using small balloons to obtain very valuable information on the wind circulation
patterns in the polar vortex. The operations were conducted by staff from ISTAR
under contract with the Italian Space Agency. The experiments were repeated in
subsequent years, some carrying small scientific payloads. During the last series
flown in 2006, an historical landmark was achieved when the Polar Explorer for
142 Launch Sites