World View begins research and education payload flights

World View Enterprises, the commercial spaceflight balloon company, has announced plans to fly research and education payloads during its balloon test flight phase as part of its newly launched Pathfinder program. 

World View has selected three initial Pathfinder payloads to fly on its delivery platforms beginning in late 2014. The payloads will be transported to altitudes as high as 120,000 feet via high-altitude balloon for the collection of scientific data. The initial Pathfinder payload institutions, payloads, and their Principal Investigators (PIs) include:

Space Environment Technologies: Dr. W. Kent Tobiska; Stratospheric Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety

SETI Institute: Dr. Peter Jenniskens; Meteor Imager

Florida Space Grant Consortium: Dr. Jaydeep Mukherjee;Student Ozone Monitor

“World View’s research and education Pathfinder program represents a major milestone and demonstrates our commitment to opening routine access to high-altitude balloon flights to these communities,” said Dr. Alan Stern, World View chief scientist and co-founder. 

Taber MacCallum, co-founder and World View chief technical officer added, “As we work toward launching consumer space flights in late 2016, we’re pleased to be able to leverage our test flights to make a significant, positive impact right now on the fields of research and education. We’re especially proud to be working with such accomplished principal investigators for our initial Pathfinder payload flights.” 

World View plans to fly a broad range of research and education payloads on its various stratospheric balloon systems, including the recently flight-tested and validated Tycho system. Tycho is a reusable commercial craft designed to offer low-cost access to the near-space environment (up to 130,000 feet) and is capable of flying small research and education payloads for a wide variety of applications, including atmospheric research, technology demonstrations for space flight and education. World View will offer similar opportunities on board its larger vehicles, including manned commercial flights with a float altitude of 100,000 feet, scheduled to begin in late 2016.