High-altitude balloons to launch near Waimea

Two high-altitude balloons will be launched near Waimea starting Thursday till Saturday as part of a mission to demonstrate uncrewed stratospheric communication capabilities.

According to Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, the balloons are being launched by the Sierra-Nevada Corporation, a company that designs customized solutions for technology challenges in aviation and other areas, and World View, the company that created the balloons.

The balloons will be near Hawai’i Island for approximately 48 hours before traveling to the continental United States over the course of approximately 60 days. They will launch and lift to a target altitude between 70,000 and 90,000 feet, well above the altitude that passenger planes fly.

The flights are weather permitting.

For more information about the mission, click here.