13 Sep 2026

The BOOP! mission was launched on a scientific balloon from NASA’s launch facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, at 8:03 a.m. MDT (10:03 a.m. EDT) on Sept. 13, 2026. This is the second year for NASA’s Balloon Program Office’s Balloon Optimization Opportunity Payload, or BOOP!, which allows multiple technology instruments to be tested during flight for future missions.  The mission carried experiments to test compact tools for future planetary exploration, map high-energy space radiation, and evaluate a newly developed flight camera system.

The balloon and payload reached a float altitude of around 123,000 feet, and flew for a total of 4 hours, 29 minutes. 

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The BOOP! scientific balloon mission is prepared for flight Sept. 13, 2026.