29 Sep 2026

The Mullenax Test Flight was launched on a scientific balloon from NASA’s launch facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, at 7:57 a.m. MDT (9:57 a.m. EDT) on Sept. 28, 2026. The mission served as a training and hardware-testing platform for meteorology and rigging personnel while also carrying a mix of university and student-built science projects and experimental smart-camera technology.

The balloon and payload reached a float altitude of around 105,900 feet, and flew for a total of 10 hours, 14 minutes. 

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The Mullenax Test Flight payload hangs suspended from a launch vehicle shortly before its morning liftoff from Fort Sumner on Sept. 28, 2026 as part of the fall scientific balloon campaign.