STRATOSPHERIC BALLOON BASES IN THE WORLD

Japan

Sanriku Balloon Center, Iwate

 

Aerial view of the launch area in Sanriku

The Sanriku balloon center (SBC), was until 2007 the only permanent facility of its kind in Japan able to perform stratospheric balloon launches. It was located in the northeast part of the country, in the Iwate Prefecture on the Pacific Ocean shore, and about 230 meters above sea level in a valley surrounded by mountains.

The facility was operated by the Japanese space agency (JAXA) and was inaugurated in November 1971, concentrating there all the scientific balloon missions that were performed since middle 60's decade from a temporary site established in Taiyomura Prefecture, near Ibaraki and then from Haranomachi in the Fukushima prefecture.

The center counted with a rather small launch area measuring only ​​150 meters long by 30 meters wide, thus to perform the balloon launches was mostly used the vertical technique launch. It also had a complete control center, a hangar for the integration of scientific gondolas and a tracking and telemetry station located in a nearby hill.

Since its opening in 1971 almost 500 balloon launches were performed there ranging from 1000 m3 to 200,000 m3 of volume. Operationally, Sanriku had the uniqueness that all the flights were carried out over the Ocean. Thus the payloads flown were water-tight and also were recovered from the sea surface.

New launch system using a movable platform

To avoid an excessive short flight period due to the withdrawal of the balloon from the base, it was developed a flying technique called "Boomerang": the balloon was launched and flown on a steady course below 20 km of altitude, at that level, the air currents pushed him toward the ocean until reaching the desired turning point. At that moment a certain amount of ballast is released, to let the balloon rose to an altitude of 30 to 40 kms where it was taken by the air currents in reverse direction back to the coast.

In 1998, extension works of the launch pad were made and a new platform fixed to the ground for lifting payloads (right) was installed in the added surface.

This new "semi-dynamic" method allowed for some time to use balloons of larger volume as the platform revolved around its vertical axis and was possible to direct the train in different directions at launch, as well as raise the gondola up to 5 meters above the ground. Theoretically, these improvements would permit the launching of balloons up to 1,000,000 m3 of volume. However, the growing population density in the area and the lack of space forced to move operations to a more open place. Thus in September 2007 was launched the last balloon from Sanriku and was held a ceremony to close the center.

From that moment on, the balloon operations moved far north to the Taiki Aerospace Research Field located in the Hokkaido Island.

Table of balloons launched from Sanriku

DateHourFlight DurationExperimentPayload landing place or cause of the failure
9/3/19719:49 JST---COSMIC DUST--- No Data ---
9/7/19718:56 JST---PARACHUTE TESTING--- No Data ---
9/14/19719:01 JST---MICROSTRUCTURE OF SOLAR DISK--- No Data ---
9/15/19718:34 JST---SOLAR INFRARED--- No Data ---
9/16/19719:11 JST---SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET--- No Data ---
9/16/197122:25 JST---HEAVY PARTICLES--- No Data ---
9/17/197117:27 JST---DIRECTION ADJUSTMENT DEVICE TESTING--- No Data ---
9/18/197116:57 JST---INSTRUMENTAL TESTING FLIGHT--- No Data ---
9/28/197115:47 JST---CYGNUS X-RAYS--- No Data ---
9/30/19719:00 JST---GAMMA RAYS--- No Data ---
10/6/19719:28 JST---ALPHA & HEAVY PARTICLES--- No Data ---
10/7/197116:43 JST---ELECTRIC FIELD--- No Data ---
10/9/197116:47 JST---INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
1/31/197217:26 JST---FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
2/3/197219:56 JST---WHISTLERS (?)--- No Data ---
2/4/19729:01 JST---RUPTURE TEST--- No Data ---
2/6/19728:35 JST---WHISTLERS (?)--- No Data ---
2/12/19727:54 JST---FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
2/13/19727:41 JST---FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
6/22/19728:30 JST---MAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
6/23/197216:03 JST---WATER VAPOUR--- No Data ---
6/25/19728:00 JST---ULF ATMOSPHERICS--- No Data ---
6/25/197216:05 JST---ION SPECTRA--- No Data ---
6/29/19728:35 JST---FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
7/7/19728:23 JST---SOLAR NEUTRONS--- No Data ---
9/6/197217:32 JST---FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
9/10/197221:02 JST---NIGHTGLOW INFRARED--- No Data ---
9/12/19729:05 JST---MICROSTRUCTURE OF SOLAR DISK--- No Data ---
9/13/197222:58 JST---ZODIACAL LIGHT--- No Data ---
9/18/197217:21 JST---COSMIC-RAY SHORT PERIOD FLUCTUATION--- No Data ---
9/20/19728:43 JST---SOLAR INFRARED--- No Data ---
9/21/19728:43 JST---SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET--- No Data ---
9/22/19729:36 JST---GALACTIC X-RAYS--- No Data ---
10/5/19728:29 JST---ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION--- No Data ---
10/7/19725:25 utc6 h 6 mX-RAY DETECTOR--- No Data ---
10/8/197222:53 JST---ZODIACAL & STELLAR FIELD LIGHTBalloon burst
10/10/197215:38 JST---ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY--- No Data ---
10/12/19728:45 JST---PRIMARY ELECTRONS--- No Data ---
2/1/19738:01 JST---ION SPECTRAPayload was cut off from balloon
2/4/19738:37 JST---FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
5/27/197317:37 JST---BOOMERANG FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
6/2/197319:26 JST---PRIMARY COSMIC RAYS (Boomerang Flight)--- No Data ---
6/5/197319:04 JST---PRIMARY ELECTRONS (Boomerang Flight)--- No Data ---
9/15/19738:06 JST---MICROSTRUCTURE OF SOLAR DISK--- No Data ---
9/28/1973------COSMIC-RAY SHORT PERIOD FLUCTUATIONBalloon Ruptured on ground
9/29/197317:20 JST---FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
10/1/197320:42 JST---NIGHTGLOW (O2 & OH)--- No Data ---
10/2/197322:45 JST---INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
10/3/19738:00 JST---SOLAR X-RAYS--- No Data ---
10/6/19738:26 JST---INSTRUMENTAL TESTING FLIGHT--- No Data ---
10/9/19738:29 JST---X-RAY DETECTOR--- No Data ---
10/12/19738:19 JST---ION SPECTRA--- No Data ---
10/18/197316:27 JST---ELECTRIC FIELD & GRAVITY WAVES--- No Data ---
10/21/19736:58 JST13 hB200 BALLOON FLIGHT TESTIn the Pacific Ocean
10/24/197316:05 JST---GAMMA RAY SHOWERBalloon Burst
1/26/197411:26 JST---FLIGHT TEST (NYLON-12 FILM)--- No Data ---
1/27/19749:54 JST---WHISTLERS (?)--- No Data ---
5/28/197418:49 JST---COSMIC-RAY SHORT PERIOD FLUCTUATION--- No Data ---
5/30/197412:22 JST---PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF THE STRATOSPHERE--- No Data ---
6/4/197417:04 JST---MAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTSBoomerang flight. Balloon Burst
6/7/197419:44 JST---HIGH ENERGY PARTICLESBoomerang flight
6/13/197419:39 JST---PRIMARY COSMIC RAYSBoomerang flight. Balloon Burst
6/15/197414:58 JST---ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION--- No Data ---
6/23/197420:46 JST---AIRGLOW & ZODIACAL LIGHT--- No Data ---
9/11/19747:25 JST---SOLAR ULTRAVIOLETLaunch failure
9/13/197421:10 JST---BAT-1 (Balloon-Borne Astronomical Telescope)--- No Data ---
10/6/19748:56 JST---LEVEL TEST FLIGHT--- No Data ---
10/8/19748:10 JST---INSTRUMENTAL TESTING FLIGHT--- No Data ---
10/8/197415:51 JST---INSTRUMENTAL TESTING FLIGHT--- No Data ---
5/23/197517:42 JST---COSMIC-RAY SHORT PERIOD FLUCTUATION--- No Data ---
5/25/19757:40 JST---ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION--- No Data ---
5/29/19757:12 JST---MAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTSBoomerang flight.
5/30/197518:04 JST---ULTRA HIGH ENERGY PARTICLESBoomerang flight. Balloon burst.
6/13/197519:39 JST---AIRGLOW & ZODIACAL LIGHT--- No Data ---
6/16/197518:29 JST---INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
6/17/197518:31 JST---BAT-1 (Balloon-Borne Astronomical Telescope)--- No Data ---
6/20/19757:27 JST---INSTRUMENTAL TESTING (BOOMERANG PROGRAMMED FLIGHT)--- No Data ---
9/9/197520:19 JST7 h 30 mINFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
9/11/19757:38 JST---SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET--- No Data ---
9/16/19757:46 JST---MICROSTRUCTURE OF SOLAR DISKBalloon Burst
9/23/19758:33 JST55 hFLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
9/24/197517:07 JST65 hGAMMA RAY BURST OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
10/4/197516:08 JST---HERCULES & CYGNUS X-RAYS--- No Data ---
10/6/197516:34 JST---ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRIC FIELD--- No Data ---
10/9/19757:41 JST---OZONE MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
10/11/19758:50 JST---IONS & AEROSOLS MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
5/22/1976 26 h 30 mPRIMARY COSMIC RAYS (Boomerang Flight)--- No Data ---
5/29/19769:18 utc9 h 44 mBAT-1 (Balloon-Borne Astronomical Telescope)Near Mount Chokai, Tohoku, Japan
5/31/1976 ---INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
5/20/1977 12 hMAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
5/21/1977 9 h 20 mFAR INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
5/22/1977 8 h 4 mXENON PROPORTIONAL COUNTER--- No Data ---
8/29/1977 6 h 10 mSTRATOSPHERIC RADIATION--- No Data ---
8/30/1977 10 h 30 mSTRATOSPHERIC COMPOSITION STUDIES--- No Data ---
8/31/19778:45 utc6 h 45 mFAR INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
9/2/1977 17 h 33 mSOLAR DISC OBSERVATION BY TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
9/16/1977 12 h 35 mBAT-1 (Balloon-Borne Astronomical Telescope)--- No Data ---
9/27/1977 ---X-RAY SOURCES OBSERVATIONBalloon burst at 15 km
9/28/1977 78 h 40 mGAMMA RAY DETECTOR--- No Data ---
9/30/197717:12 jst28 hGAMMA RAY DETECTOR--- No Data ---
10/3/1977 27 h 40 mATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
10/6/1977 8 h 59 mBALLOON RELAY EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
10/6/1977 8 h 22 mBALLOON RELAY EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
5/25/1978 ---FAR INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
5/29/19786:32 JST15 hSPECTROPHOTOMETERIn the Pacific Ocean east of Kuji city
9/1/197818:16 jst---BAT-1 (Balloon-Borne Astronomical Telescope)--- No Data ---
10/4/1978 ---PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT TEST--- No Data ---
5/??/1979 29 hJACEE 0 (Japanese-American Collaborative Emulsion Experiment)--- No Data ---
5/19/1979 60 hGAMMA RAY BURST DETECTOR--- No Data ---
5/31/19796:30 jst---SPECTROMETER--- No Data ---
6/1/197917:52 jst23 hWATER VAPOUR MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
8/29/1979 ---FAR INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
9/17/1979 ---DROP TEST FOR REEFING--- No Data ---
10/4/1979~ 7:00 jst~ 10 hBALLOON TO BALLOON DATA RELAY TESTIn the Pacific Ocean, about 200 km from the Japanese shore
10/4/1979~ 8:00 jst~ 10 hELECTRIC FIELD OBSERVATIONIn the Pacific Ocean, about 1300 km from the Japanese shore
5/13/1980 ---AUTOMATIC SYSTEM TO CONTROL BALLOON ALTITUDE--- No Data ---
5/19/1980 ~ 20 hMICS (Multistage Ionization and Cerenkov System)--- No Data ---
5/29/1980 ---PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT TEST--- No Data ---
6/3/1980 ---GRAB SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/30/1980 ---MICROGRAVITY TEST--- No Data ---
5/17/1981 ---STATIC LAUNCH METHOD VERIFICATION--- No Data ---
5/21/1981 ---STRATOSPHERIC WATER VAPOUR MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
5/26/1981 ---HIGH ENERGY PARTICLES OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
5/27/1981 ---BOOMERANG FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
5/31/1981 ---POINTING SYSTEM VERIFICATION OF AN INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
6/3/1981 ---TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
6/4/1981 ---ATMOSPHERIC INFRARED ABSORPTION SPECTRUM--- No Data ---
6/5/1981 ---MAGNETOMETER--- No Data ---
6/9/19816:32 jst---PAYLOAD RECOVERY SYSTEM DROP TEST--- No Data ---
6/10/1981 ---MICROGRAVITY TEST--- No Data ---
8/29/1981 ---VERIFICATION OF ATTITUDE CONTROL SYSTEM--- No Data ---
9/2/19817:34 jst---GRAB SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/5/19818:42 jst13 hSOLAR TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
9/21/1981 ---GLIDING PARACHUTE TEST--- No Data ---
9/29/1981 ---OBSERVATION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE--- No Data ---
9/30/19816:53 jst~ 30 hHECRO 81 (High Energy primary Cosmic Ray Observation)--- No Data ---
5/24/1982 ---NEAR INFRARED RADIOMETER--- No Data ---
5/25/1982 ---HEAVY PRIMARY COSMIC RAYS OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
5/26/1982 ---PARACHUTE TEST--- No Data ---
5/30/1982 ---ULTRAHEAVY NUCLEI OF PRIMARY COSMIC RAYS OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
6/4/1982 ---STUDY OF STELLAR INFRARED SPECTRA--- No Data ---
9/1/1982 ---COSMIC RAY PARTICLES AND TRACE COMPONENTS OF THE ATMOSPHERE--- No Data ---
9/2/1982 ---GRAB SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/5/1982 ---PRELIMINARY TEST OF PAYLOAD FOR INDONESIAN SOLAR ECLIPSE--- No Data ---
9/6/1982 10 h 7 mPRIMARY COSMIC RAYS (Boomerang Flight)--- No Data ---
9/17/198217:21 jst16 h 50 mSSTD (Solid State Track Detector)--- No Data ---
9/20/19827:02 jst---ANEMOMETER--- No Data ---
9/29/1982 30 hGAMMA RAY OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
9/29/1982 29 hX-RAY DETECTOR--- No Data ---
10/18/1982 22.4 hGEOMAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
10/18/1982 ---RELAY BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
10/19/1982 ---OBSERVATION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE--- No Data ---
10/23/1982 ---PARACHUTE OPENING TEST--- No Data ---
8/28/19837:14 jst~ 6 hGRAB SAMPLER--- No Data ---
8/30/1983 ---AEROSOL SAMPLING--- No Data ---
9/2/1983 ---FAR INFRARED OBSERVATIONS--- No Data ---
9/4/1983 ---SOLAR TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
9/6/1983 ---MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
9/23/1983 ---GEOMAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
9/26/1983 ---STRATOSPHERIC TURBULENCE STUDIES--- No Data ---
9/28/1983 ---ARGOS SATELLITE LINK TEST--- No Data ---
5/17/1984 10 hSTRATOSPHERIC TURBULENCE STUDIESImpact in coordinates 40° 53' N,146° 28' E
5/19/1984 ---AUTO LEVEL CONTROL TESTImpact in coordinates 40° 53' N,146° 28' E
5/25/1984 ---COSMIC RAY STUDIES / ATMOSPHERIC PARTICLESImpact in coordinates 39° 07' N,141° 55' E
9/6/1984 ---OBSERVATION OF GEOMAGNETIC ANOMALIESRecovered from the Sea of Japan by fishing boat on 9/18 near Kosawaga
9/7/1984 ---GRAB SAMPLERRecovered from Pacific Ocean by cargo ship Saga Maru
9/8/1984 F 12 hPARTICLE IMPACTOR + ANEMOMETERIn a forest near Kesennuma, Japan
9/11/1984 ---OBSERVATION OF SOLAR GRANULES WITH A 30 CM TELESCOPERetrieved 9/12 by cargo ship Saga Maru
9/24/19846:58 jst3 d 1 hARGOS SATELLITE LINK TESTIn the Pacific Ocean, 1800 km E from Japan shore
5/23/1985 22 h 30 mOBSERVATION OF PRIMARY ELECTRONS--- No Data ---
5/27/1985 34 hOBSERVATION OF COSMIC RAY HEAVY PARTICLES--- No Data ---
5/30/1985 41 hLAUNCH TEST--- No Data ---
8/27/1985 ---SPACE ENVIRONMENT RADIATION--- No Data ---
9/3/1985 ---CRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/4/1985 ---GLIDING PARACHUTE TEST--- No Data ---
9/6/19857:00 JST---S520 ROCKET PAYLOAD DROP TEST--- No Data ---
9/26/1985 ---X-RAY ASTRONOMY--- No Data ---
10/3/1985 ---PAYLOAD UNKNOWN--- No Data ---
10/4/1985 ---OBSERVATION OF AERIAL ELECTRIC FIELD--- No Data ---
5/28/1986 9 h 2 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
6/1/1986 1 h 28 mOBSERVATION OF HEAVY PRIMARY LINES--- No Data ---
6/1/1986 3 h 34 mS520 ROCKET PAYLOAD DROP TEST--- No Data ---
6/3/1986 5 h 10 mGLIDING PARACHUTE TEST--- No Data ---
10/5/1986 11 h 17 mHARD X-RAY ASTRONOMY--- No Data ---
10/6/1986 10 h 5 mOBSERVATION OF STRATOSPHERIC NO2--- No Data ---
10/10/1986 10 h 22 mOBSERVATION OF IONOSPHERIC ELECTRIC FIELD--- No Data ---
10/11/1986 58 mMEASUREMENT OF ABSOLUTE QUANTITY OF THE COSMIC RAY COMPONENT--- No Data ---
10/11/1986 49 h 22 mELECTROMAGNETIC DISTRIBUTION OF POWER LINE RADIATION--- No Data ---
5/19/1987 12 h 7 mOBSERVATION OF STRATOSPHERIC NO2--- No Data ---
5/25/1987 32 h 34 mEMULSION CHAMBERIn the Pacific Ocean, off Ofunato, Japan
5/31/1987 3 h 37 mSEA RECOVERY TEST--- No Data ---
6/2/1987 7 h 59 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
6/6/1987 2 h 17 mNEW LAUNCH METHOD VERIFICATION--- No Data ---
9/24/1987 41 h 50 mOBSERVATION OF ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRIC FIELD--- No Data ---
9/28/1987 46 hHIGH ENERGY COSMIC RAYS OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
10/3/1987 2 hHIMES - JET CONTROLLED GONDOLA TEST--- No Data ---
5/18/1988 8 h 40 mOBSERVATION OF IONOSPHERIC ELECTRIC FIELD--- No Data ---
5/21/1988 ---CRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
5/28/1988 21 h 40 mEMULSION CHAMBERIn the Sea of Japan, off Sakai, Japan
6/6/1988 13 hANTIPROTON OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
5/18/1989 ---BALLOON ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
5/25/1989 22 h 10 mEMULSION CHAMBER--- No Data ---
5/31/1989 ---BALLOON ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
6/1/1989 ---STELLAR INFRARED OBSERVATIONS--- No Data ---
8/30/1989 ---STRATOSPHERIC AEROSOL OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
9/1/1989 13 h 45 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLERIn the Japan Sea
9/15/1989 4 h 35 mPRELIMINARY EXPERIMENT FOR PROTON OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
9/17/1989 ---BALLOON ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
9/24/1989 30 h 57 mOBSERVATION OF ELECTRIC FIELD--- No Data ---
9/27/1989 38 h 18 mPAYLOAD UNKNOWN--- No Data ---
5/20/1990  LAUNCH TEST--- No Data ---
5/30/1990 1 hBICE (Balloon-borne Infrared Carbon Explorer)Balloon failure at 10 km
6/4/1990 7 hCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
8/26/1990 13 hDC ELECTRIC FIELD (?)--- No Data ---
8/31/1990  THIN FILM BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
9/2/1990  FIBER REINFORCED BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
9/5/1990  URETHANE LAMINATED BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
5/20/1991 7 hSATELLITE LINK COMMUNICATION TEST--- No Data ---
5/23/1991 7 hHARD X-RAY / GAMMA RAY OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
5/28/1991 15 h 50 mEMULSION CHAMBER--- No Data ---
8/29/1991 7 hCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
8/30/1991 ---BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
9/2/1991  URETHANE LAMINATED BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
9/6/1991  ITV BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
9/11/1991  FIBER REINFORCED BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
5/28/1992 3 hOZONE DENSITY OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
5/28/1992 3 hOZONE DENSITY OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
5/28/1992 7 hCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
5/30/1992 2 hSTRATOSPHERIC CLOUD STUDY--- No Data ---
6/1/1992 2 hSTRATOSPHERIC CLOUD STUDY--- No Data ---
8/29/1992 ---WATERPROOF GONDOLA TEST--- No Data ---
9/2/1992 ---SUPERSONIC PARACHUTE TEST--- No Data ---
5/24/1993 ---TEST FLIGHT--- No Data ---
6/5/1993 ---WELCOME I--- No Data ---
6/8/1993 ---CRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
6/9/19939:43 jst3 hOPTICAL OZONE SENSOR--- No Data ---
6/9/1993 ---OZONE DENSITY OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
8/29/1993 ---PRIMARY ELECTRON STUDY--- No Data ---
9/3/1993 ---TEST FLIGHT--- No Data ---
9/6/1993 ---INFRARED TELESCOPE--- No Data ---
9/10/1993 ---MOON PENETRATOR DROP TEST--- No Data ---
5/29/199410:18 jst OPTICAL OZONE SENSOR--- No Data ---
5/30/19949:55 jst OPTICAL OZONE SENSOR--- No Data ---
6/1/19947:00 local10 hHEAVY COSMIC PARTICLES DETECTORPayload recovered from the sea near the Oga peninsula in Japan
6/5/1994 ---GLIDING PARACHUTE EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
8/27/19949:57 jst2 hOPTICAL OZONE SENSOR--- No Data ---
8/31/1994 8 hCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/3/199418:44 JST8 h 30 mBICE (Balloon-borne Infrared Carbon Explorer)In Ofunato Bay, in the Sea of Japan
9/8/1994 12 hPAYLOAD UNKNOWN--- No Data ---
10/18/1994 19 hSATELLITE COMMUNICATION EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
10/21/1994 2 hBALLOON ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
5/27/1995 ---HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
5/30/1995 16 hPERFORMANCE TEST OF NEW COMMAND RECEIVER--- No Data ---
6/8/19956:41 jst9 h 20 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLERIn the Pacific Ocean 20 km SE of Ofunato Port, Iwate Prefecture
8/30/1995 4 hWATERPROOF GONDOLA TEST--- No Data ---
9/2/1995 2 hATMOSPHERIC OZONE OBSERVATON--- No Data ---
9/5/1995 2 hFLIGHT PERFORMANCE TEST OF BALLOON--- No Data ---
9/8/1995 2 h 30 mHIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
9/13/19957:19 jst~ 14 hBETS (Balloon-borne Electron Telescope with Scintillating fibers)--- No Data ---
1/27/1996 3 hATMOSPHERIC OZONE OBSERVATON--- No Data ---
1/28/1996 3 hATMOSPHERIC OZONE OBSERVATON--- No Data ---
1/29/19968:161 h 30 mEVAL BALLOON TEST FLIGHT--- No Data ---
6/27/1996 9 hCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/4/1996 2 h 30 mMUSES-C PROBE PARACHUTE TEST--- No Data ---
9/6/1996 7 h 30 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/10/1996 2 h 50 mOPTICAL OZONE SENSOR--- No Data ---
9/13/1996 35 hEMULSION CHAMBER--- No Data ---
1/24/1997 1 h 45 mEVAL BALLOON TEST FLIGHT--- No Data ---
1/27/19978:21 jst3 h 50 mTHIN MATERIAL BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
5/29/1997 1 h 58 mFLIGHT PERFORMANCE TEST OF BALLOON--- No Data ---
5/30/1997 6 h 46 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
6/2/1997 8 h 26 mBETS (Balloon borne Electron Telescope with Scintillating fibers)--- No Data ---
6/7/1997 3 hFLIGHT PERFORMANCE TEST OF BALLOON--- No Data ---
6/8/1997 1 h 33 mEVAL BALLOON TEST FLIGHT--- No Data ---
9/5/1997 3 h 4 mATMOSPHERIC OZONE OBSERVATON--- No Data ---
9/9/1997 3 h 6 mOBSERVATION OF STRATOSPHERIC NO2--- No Data ---
9/9/199710:50 jst3 h 34 mOXYGEN ATOM DENSITY AND OZONE OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
9/12/1997 1 h 35 mEVAL BALLOON TEST FLIGHT--- No Data ---
9/13/1997 2 h 45 mFLIGHT PERFORMANCE TEST OF BALLOON--- No Data ---
5/18/1998 27 hCOSMIC ELECTRONS BY EMULSION--- No Data ---
5/22/1998 14 hBALLOON MATERIAL TEST--- No Data ---
5/24/1998 21 h 6 mBETS (Balloon borne Electron Telescope with Scintillating fibers)--- No Data ---
9/3/1998 8 h 13 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/4/1998 3 hATMOSPHERIC OZONE OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
9/6/1998 3 hFIRBE (Far InfraRed Balloon-borne Experiment)On the sea, near the launch site.
9/9/1998 3 h 22 mMUSES-C PROBE PARACHUTE TEST--- No Data ---
1/25/1999 3 h 22 mATMOSPHERIC OZONE OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
5/15/19997:14 jst4 h 58 mSUPERPRESSURE BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
5/24/1999 20 h 13 mHIGH ENERGY PRIMARY ELECTRONIC OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
5/31/1999 5 h 5mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
8/31/1999 3 h 58 mSTRATOSPHERIC OZONE OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
9/1/1999 3 h 15 mUTLTRA THIN BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
9/2/19996:55 jst6 h 55 mBETS (Balloon-borne Electron Telescope with Scintillating fibers)--- No Data ---
9/6/19996:50 jst4 h 20 mBALLOON ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT--- No Data ---
5/31/2000 4 mEMULSION CHAMBERIn the mountains, 3 km NE of Sanriku, Japan
6/3/2000 11 h 11 mAUTOMATIC BALLAST SYSTEM TEST--- No Data ---
6/5/20006:30 jst11 h 10 mBETS (Balloon-borne Electron Telescope with Scintillating fibers)Pacific Ocean near the launch site
6/7/200082 h 58 mTEST FLIGHT--- No Data ---
8/28/20007:13 jst3 h 44 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
8/30/200010:10 local2 h 45 mSTRATOSPHERIC OZONE--- No Data ---
5/18/20017:37 local4 h 5 mCUBESAT BUS SYSTEM TESTPacific Ocean
5/20/2001 6 h 12 mCUBESAT BUS SYSTEM TEST--- No Data ---
5/23/2001 40 h 50 mEMULSION CHAMBER--- No Data ---
5/30/2001 6 h 40 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
6/4/2001V17 h 55 mAUTOBALLASTING SYSTEM TEST--- No Data ---
8/28/2001 3 h 45 mOBSERVATION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE--- No Data ---
8/29/20016:30 jst5 h 7 mHARD X-RAY SPECTROMETER--- No Data ---
9/1/20016:00 jst4 h 50 mATMOSPHERIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/3/20018:50 jst7 h 39 mBETS (Balloon-borne Electron Telescope with Scintillating fibers)--- No Data ---
9/6/2001 4 h 50 mULTRA THIN FILM BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
5/17/2002 3 h 15 mGPS SYSTEM TEST--- No Data ---
5/23/20026:35 jst4 h 23 mULTRA THIN FILM BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
5/24/20026:45 jst11 h 45 mHARD X-RAY SPECTROMETERA parachute failure caused the instrument to land harder than intended and as a result of the impact resulted partially destroyed.
5/30/20026:35 jst4 h 45 mPOLAR BESS - Solar Array Test--- No Data ---
6/3/2002 5 h 20 mLOW FREQUENCY EMISSIONS MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
9/4/2002 9 hCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
9/5/2002 2 h 50 mOPTICAL OZONE SONDE--- No Data ---
9/9/2002 14 h 15 mAUTO LEVEL CONTROL SYSTEM--- No Data ---
9/12/2002 4 h 50 mATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
8/23/20036:27 jst3 h 38 mSOLAR SAIL DEPLOYMENT TESTOn the sea 20 km E of Touni Bay, Japan
8/30/20036:22 jst6 h 13 mBSMILES (Balloon-borne Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder)In the sea 40 km off the E coast of Miyako, Japan
9/1/20036:20 jst5 h 23 mMACFT (Membrane Aeroshell Capsule Flight Test)On the Pacific Ocean, near japanese shore.
9/3/200317:37 jst8 h 33 mSi/CdTe SEMICONDUCTOR COMPTON TELESCOPE (PROTOTYPE)--- No Data ---
9/12/2003 2 h 47 mFLIGHT PERFORMANCE TEST (BREAK DOWN TEST)--- No Data ---
9/13/2003 2 h 50 mOBSERVATION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE--- No Data ---
9/17/2003 3 h 36 mLOADING EQUIPMENT TEST (PICTURE DIGITAL TRANSMISSION)--- No Data ---
9/18/20039:55 jst~ 4 hULTRA THIN FILM BALLOON TEST--- No Data ---
9/19/2003 5 h 10 mLOADING EQUIPMENT TEST (PLD COMMAND TEST)--- No Data ---
5/22/2004 3 h 17 mENGINEERING FLIGHT OF ULTRA-THIN HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOON--- No Data ---
5/28/2004 3 h 35 mENGINEERING FLIGHT OF ULTRA-THIN HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOON--- No Data ---
5/30/20046:00 jst~ 19 hMSC (Micro Segment Chamber)--- No Data ---
6/3/2004 6 h 40 mX-RAY OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
6/5/2004 2 h 30 mENGINEERING FLIGHT OF SUPER-PRESSURE BALLOON--- No Data ---
8/25/20047:30 jst---SEARCH FOR UV-TOLERANT MICROBE AND OBSERVATION OF NEUTRON FLUX--- No Data ---
8/28/20046:31 jst~ 4 hMACFT (Membrane Aeroshell Capsule Flight Test)On the Pacific Ocean, near japanese shore.
9/4/20049:00 jst---ATMOSPHERIC GRAVITY WAVES + OZONE OBSERVATION--- No Data ---
9/5/20048:50 jst3 hSTRATOSPHERIC OZONE MEASUREMENTS--- No Data ---
9/6/20046:44 jst5 h 40 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLERIn the Pacific Ocean at coordinates 141º 14'E - 39º 31'N
9/7/20046:30 jst~ 6 hBSMILES (Balloon-borne Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder)In the sea at 142º14'E - 39º21'N
5/21/2005 1 h 13 mSUPER THIN FILM HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
5/25/200518:56 JST~ 4hSUMIT (SuperMirror Imaging Telescope experiment) - Test flightIn the ocean shore near Sanriku, Japan
5/29/2005 5 h 7 mSOLAR SAIL DEPLOYMENT TEST--- No Data ---
6/2/2005 4 h 34 mSUPER PRESSURE BALLOON FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
6/6/2005 23 h 5 mSTRATOSPHERIC MICROBIAL COLLECTION--- No Data ---
8/22/2005 ---HIGH ENERGY ELECTRON AND ATMOSPHERIC GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONSNo flight. The balloon burst at launch.
8/28/20057:40 jst---ATMOSPHERIC GRAVITY WAVES + OZONE OBSERVATIONAt 141º 56' N - 39º 45' W, in the Japan Sea.
8/29/200518:00 jst7 hOBSERVATION OF THE VLF RADIO WAVE WHICH ACCOMPANIES NOCTILUCENCE AND LIGHTNING DISCHARGE--- No Data ---
5/27/20066:04 jst~ 3 hBOV-1 (Balloon-based Operation Vehicle)In the Japan Sea
5/31/20066:00 jst6 h 20 mbCALET-1 (Balloon-Borne CALorimetric Electron Telescope)In the Pacific Ocean
6/3/2006 6 h 30 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER--- No Data ---
6/8/2006 4 h 30 mSUPER PRESSURE BALLOON FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
6/13/2006 12 h 5 mPHENEX (Polarimetry for High ENErgy X rays)--- No Data ---
8/25/200618:33 jst~ 5 hSPRITE OBSERVATIONIn the Pacific Ocean
8/30/20066:10 jst3 h 10 mSOLAR SAIL DEPLOYMENT TESTIn the Pacific Ocean
9/1/20066:11 jst7 h 38 mSMILE-1 (Sub-MeV gamma-ray Imaging Loaded-on-balloon Experiment)In the Pacific Ocean
9/2/2006 2 h 8 mSUPER PRESSURE BALLOON FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
9/4/2006 7 h 57 mBSMILES (Balloon-borne Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder)--- No Data ---
9/13/2006 1 h 52 mSUPER THIN FILM HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON FLIGHT TEST--- No Data ---
5/18/20075:55 JST2 mTECHNOLOGICAL FLIGHT OF A BALLOON MADE OF ULTRA THIN MATERIAL500 Mts from the launch base.
5/29/20076:03 jst4 h 25 mBOV-2 (Balloon-based Operation Vehicle)On the sea 30 km E of Kamaishi, Japan
6/4/20076:00 jst7 h 57 mCRYOGENIC SAMPLER35 km from the shoreline of Kamaishi, Japan
6/15/200715:05 jst8 h 45 mFITE (Far-Infrared Interferometric Telescope Experiment) - Systems TestIn the Pacific Ocean, 60 km from Iwate
8/29/2007 5 h 5 mPOINTING SYSTEM TEST FOR PHENEX--- No Data ---
8/30/20076:02 jst3 h 20 mTEST OF FUEL CELL AND AUTOMATIC CONTROL FALL SYSTEMIn the Pacific Ocean, 20 km from Iwate. Balloon near Towadako
9/13/20076:51 JST3 h 30 mOZONE OBSERVATION + CRISTAL BAROMETER TEST + GRAVITY WAVESIn the Ocean, near 100 kms from the shore line in front at Izaki, Japan

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