NASA Balloon Program · Monday, September 14, 2026
NASA launches fourth balloon of Fort Sumner campaign
The File desk · Sep 14, 2026, 10:18 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed from a NASA Wallops blog post dated Sept. 13, 2026.
NASA flew another science balloon from New Mexico. A Wallops blog post says the Balloon Optimization Opportunity Payload, or BOOP!, launched from Fort Sumner at 8:03 a.m. Mountain time (10:03 a.m. Eastern) on Sept. 13. The flight carried technology instruments for future missions, reached about 123,000 feet, and lasted 4 hours 29 minutes. It was the fourth balloon of the Fort Sumner campaign.
NASA flew another science balloon from New Mexico.
A Wallops blog post by Jamie Adkins says the Balloon Optimization Opportunity Payload, or BOOP!, launched from Fort Sumner at 8:03 a.m. Mountain time (10:03 a.m. Eastern) on Sept. 13.
NASA titled the post the fourth balloon of the scientific balloon campaign.
The balloon reached about 123,000 feet and flew 4 hours 29 minutes.
The post says this is the second year for BOOP!, which lets several technology instruments fly at once. The payload carried tests of compact tools for future planetary exploration, a map of high-energy space radiation, and a newly developed flight camera.
What is still unknown or disputed
- Full instrument list beyond the blog summary.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Fourth Balloon of NASA Scientific Balloon Campaign Launches
NASA (Wallops blog) · September 13, 2026
BOOP! launched 8:03 a.m. MDT (10:03 a.m. EDT) Sept. 13 from Fort Sumner; ~123,000 feet; 4 hours, 29 minutes; fourth balloon of the scientific balloon campaign. Second year for Balloon Optimization Opportunity Payload.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/wallops/2026/09/13/fourth-balloon-of-nasa-scientific-balloon-campaign-launches/