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Wallops Flight Facility

Launch updates from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

    TOMEX+ Launch Update – Aug. 22

    The TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission launch attempt for Sunday, Aug. 24, will be rescheduled to a later date due to cloud cover and continued high sea states in the recovery area. The teams are evaluating a new launch attempt for the upcoming week. The window for the mission runs through Sept. 3. 

    New Mexico Scientific Balloon Campaign Update- Aug. 21

    Aug. 21, 2025: The Salter Test Flight launched at 9:21 a.m. EDT (7:21 a.m. MDT) Thursday, Aug. 21 from the agency’s balloon launch facility, marking the first successful balloon flight of the campaign. The balloon and payload reached a float altitude of 124,000 feet, and flew for a total of 5 hours, 4 minutes. The hardware test flight reported a healthy balloon and flight systems, and requirements were met before successful termination. Several smaller payloads, or piggyback missions, rode along to support science and technology development, including numerous student experiments. Recovery efforts are underway.  

    Aerial view of a high-altitude scientific balloon launch preparation in a desert setting at sunset. The white balloon is partially inflated and tethered to a launch vehicle, with support vehicles and personnel positioned around the launch area on a cracked desert surface
    NASA's high-altitude scientific balloon being prepared for launch at Fort Sumner, N.M., during the agency's 2024 fall balloon campaign. The mission carried research instruments to the stratosphere to conduct experiments above 99.5% of Earth's atmosphere.
    NASA/Francis Reddy

    TOMEX+ Launch Update – Aug. 21

    The TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission is now targeting no earlier than Sunday, Aug. 24, for the first launch attempt due to high sea states in the recovery area from Hurricane Erin.

    TOMEX+ Launch Update – Aug. 20

    The TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission is now targeting no earlier than Saturday, Aug. 23, for the first launch attempt due to high sea states in the recovery area from Hurricane Erin.

    Three sounding rockets, each on their own launch pad, standing vertical at a nearly 90 degree angle. One rocket is closest to the camera in the center. The other two flank it, sitting farther away. In the foreground is a grassy green hill, and beside each rocket is a long white building.
    Three sounding rockets for the TOMEX+ mission are raised vertical on their launch pads during a mission dress rehearsal on August 20, 2025, in Wallops Island, Virginia.
    NASA/Danielle Johnson

    TOMEX+ Launch Update – Aug. 19

    The TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission is now targeting no earlier than Friday, Aug. 22, for the first launch attempt due to cloud cover and high sea states in the recovery area from Hurricane Erin.

    TOMEX+ Launch Update – Aug. 18

    The TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission is now targeting no earlier than Thursday, Aug. 21, for the first launch attempt due to cloud cover in the area and high sea states from Hurricane Erin.

    TOMEX+ Launch Update – Aug. 17

    The TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission is now targeting no earlier than Tuesday, Aug. 19, for the first launch attempt due to expected cloud cover in the area and down range camera sites. The mission needs clear skies in order to launch.

    NASA’s TOMEX+ Rocket to Track Turbulence at Edge of Space

    The Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment Plus, or TOMEX+, is a NASA sounding rocket mission that will investigate one of Earth’s most turbulent atmospheric regions — the mesopause. Led by principal investigator Jim Clemmons, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Hampshire, TOMEX+ will open its launch window from NASA’s Wallops Flight […]

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    Seven Scientific Balloons to Fly From New Mexico for NASA Campaign

    A scientific balloon, capable of expanding to 11 million cubic feet at altitude, stands partially inflated against a clear blue sky. Ground crew in safety vests monitor the deployment while the translucent envelope is secured with tethers. Support vehicles including a semi-truck are positioned nearby, with orange safety cones marking the perimeter of the launch field

    A NASA Scientific Balloon Program annual campaign is taking flight at the agency’s balloon launch facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Seven balloon flights carrying scientific experiments and technology demonstrations are scheduled to launch starting in mid-August. To follow the missions in the 2025 Fort Sumner campaign, visit NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility website for real-time updates […]

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    NASA Wallops Flight Facility Rocket to Carry University Student Experiments

    "A group of people gathered in front of a sounding rocket in an assembly facility. The silver and red rocket stands vertically between support structures in a bright indoor space with white walls and yellow ceiling cables. University student team members wearing blue lab coats are positioned in group photo formation in front of the rocket."

    A sounding rocket carrying experiments developed by eight student teams is scheduled to launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Tuesday, Aug. 12, for the RockSat-X mission. The Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket is expected to reach an altitude of about 100 miles (162 kilometers) before descending by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean to be recovered. […]

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