NASA’s Mullenax Test Flight launched on a scientific balloon from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, on 28 September. It reached an altitude of about 32.3 kilometres and remained aloft for 10 hours and 14 minutes.
The mission combined staff training with hardware testing. It provided flight experience for personnel responsible for meteorological support and payload rigging.
Alongside the test hardware, the balloon carried science projects developed by university and student teams, as well as experimental smart-camera technology.
Mullenax was the fifth launch of NASA’s autumn scientific balloon campaign. Such flights allow developers to test equipment at high altitude while ground teams gain practical experience.
