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On , as part of the TRANSAT campaign, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and France’s Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) launched a stratospheric balloon from the Esrange Space Center, located in Kiruna, Sweden. After 11 STRATOS campaigns, this was a first for the CSA and CNES collaboration: the balloon was embarking on a transatlantic journey planned to end in northern Canada.
The stratospheric balloon was launched from Kiruna Sweden during the TRANSAT campaign. It embarked on a four-day journey across the Atlantic, landing on Baffin Island, Nunavut. (Credit: Swedish Space Corporation)
Two FAST-funded Canadian payloads were on board: University of Toronto’s Canadian Atmospheric Laser Absorption Spectroscopy Experiment Test-bed (CALASET) sensor, aimed at taking in situ measurements of atmospheric gases; and University of Saskatchewan’s Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System 3 (OSIRIS-3), that had the double objective of performing atmospheric limb retrievals of gases and aerosol as well as demonstrating a prototype for a nanosatellite.
After close to four days of flying at an altitude of 40 km over Sweden, Norway, Greenland and Canada, the balloon landed safely on Baffin Island, Nunavut. A recovery team was then deployed to retrieve the balloon, gondola and scientific experiments.
The team worked in collaboration with Summit Helicopters Ltd. as well as an Inuit company from Pond Inlet, Tingmiak Baffin Ltd., whose expertise was instrumental in the success of the recovery operation.
A team is present in Nunavut (Baffin Island) to retrieve the balloon, gondola and scientific experiments. (Credit: CSA)
On top of the technical achievement, this first transatlantic flight confirmed the versatility of the zero-pressure balloon. The longer duration of these flights offers a unique environment to perform scientific experiments at low cost, while giving training opportunities and hands-on experience to the next generation of space researchers.
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