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Payload on launch vehicle with high bay in background.

Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility welcome sign.

Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility

CSBF provides complete balloon operations services and engineering support to the United States and foreign scientific communities. In over 50 years of operation, the Facility has launched more than 1700 balloons for 35 universities, 23 other research agencies, and 33 foreign groups.

Learn More About CSBF

Location

Palestine, TX

Founded

1961

People

93

Site manager

Robert Renko

What We Do at CSBF

The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility has the following three-fold mission:

People working on a balloon payload at sunrise.

Plan

Plan and develop facilities and provide operations service to meet the approved ballooning requirements of the scientific community.

Balloon being inflated at sunrise.

Perform

Perform the necessary research and development to meet future scientific ballooning requirements.

Launch vehicle with payload and balloon parachute attached on snowy ground.

Provide

Provide consulting services in the field of scientific ballooning.

CSBF Launch Schedule

Check out the latest scientific balloon launches supported by CSBF

Launch vehicle with payload and balloon being inflated in the background.

Latest Scientific Balloon News

NASA Safely Ends Second Super Pressure Balloon Test Flight 

NASA Super Pressure Balloon Circling New Zealand

NASA Ends Super Pressure Balloon Flight After 17 Days

Second NASA Super Pressure Balloon at Float

Second NASA Super Pressure Balloon Launches from New Zealand

Scientific Balloon Gallery

View images of scientific balloon launches and operations from Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility and Wallops Flight Facility.

Two balloons stacked on top of one another being inflated.

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