Tables of stratospheric balloons launched worldwide since 1947

In the tables that we present here you will find the complete record of stratospheric balloon launches available in our database separated for years and ordered chronologically. Note that the data entered so far in our database are about 65% of all balloon launch activity worldwide from 1947 to date, so it should not be taken as suitable values for statistics of any kind. It is likely that the process of consolidating all the data available still will take several years to complete.

The little number in the blue badge indicates in each case, the number of records that Stratocat hold in the database for that particular year. Clicking on each year number, you can access tables containing as much as possible information on the missions performed that year: launch base, duration of the flight, purpose of the mission and landing place of the payload. In some cases, clicking in the experiment's name you will access a complete flight data sheet featuring a detailed account of the balloon operations as well the scientific experiments carried, their purpose, results, related links and when available images of different instances of the mission.

Finally in the table at the bottom of this page you will find a snapshot of the last thirty records incorporated to our database.

Total number of balloon launches in the database: 15415							1947 16	1948 22	1949 48
1950 14	1951 64	1952 141	1953 532	1954 315	1955 335	1956 824	1957 482	1958 879	1959 495
1960 409	1961 405	1962 383	1963 308	1964 461	1965 460	1966 436	1967 365	1968 299	1969 332
1970 367	1971 240	1972 257	1973 238	1974 169	1975 266	1976 210	1977 208	1978 189	1979 228
1980 191	1981 139	1982 149	1983 146	1984 106	1985 113	1986 105	1987 103	1988 113	1989 103
1990 127	1991 112	1992 137	1993 86	1994 110	1995 113	1996 74	1997 110	1998 107	1999 125
2000 123	2001 96	2002 81	2003 82	2004 79	2005 128	2006 109	2007 73	2008 63	2009 50
2010 61	2011 55	2012 96	2013 196	2014 62	2015 50	2016 46	2017 120	2018 192	2019 284
2020 273	2021 155	2022 77	2023 84	2024 14

Last 30 records incorporated into our database (last update 3-May-2024 - 04:27:25pm)

Launch base	Date	Flight Duration	Experiment	Payload landing place or cause of the failure
Holloman AFB (NM)	10/22/1968	6 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	3 miles SE of William, Texas, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	12/12/1974	3 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	23 miles E of Newman, Texas, US
Hurley (SD)	5/1/2024	46 h	THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 685	20 km W of Crystal, North Dakota, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	12/6/1974	4 h 30 m	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	20 miles NE of Midland, Texas, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	12/10/1969	3 h 30 m	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	1 mile SE of Odessa, Texas, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	12/16/1968	4 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	18 miles E of Paducah, Texas, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	12/9/1968	4 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	32 miles S of Hobbs, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	11/5/1974	3 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	30 miles NNW of Hobbs, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	2/2/1980	6 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	27 miles E of Midland, Texas, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	4/29/1965	14 h 30 m	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	150 miles WSW of Tampa, Florida, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	5/22/1969	3 h 30 m	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	42 miles N of Holloman AFB, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	6/27/1969	8 h 30 m	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	--- No Data ---
Holloman AFB (NM)	7/23/1962	4 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	25 miles NW of Lordsburg, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	10/13/1962	4 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	8 miles NE of Las Cruces, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	6/12/1962	5 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	5 miles E of San Antonio, Texas, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	5/19/1962	7 h 30 m	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	51 miles NE of Alamogordo, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	4/28/1978	11 h 15 m	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	29 miles SW of Hobbs, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	4/12/1973	7 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	40 miles SE of Holloman AFB, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	5/5/1980	6 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	18 miles E of Roswell, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	11/28/1980	6 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	15 miles NE of Lubbock, Texas, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	11/19/1980	4 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	37 miles ENE of Hobbs, New Mexico, US
Hurley (SD)	4/12/2024	28 h	THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 679	E of Atlanta, Illinois, US
Artesia (NM)	9/12/1962	---	SKYTOP PROJECT	--- No Data ---
Holloman AFB (NM)	8/15/1980	12 h	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	21 miles E of Needles, California, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	10/20/1981	4 h 15 m	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	13.5 miles SE of Roswell, New Mexico, US
Holloman AFB (NM)	10/5/1983	7 h 15 m	PAYLOAD UNKNOWN	55 miles NE of Lubbock, Texas, US
BAM Rayo	5/16/2022	---	ROCKOON TEST	--- No Data ---
Hurley (SD)	4/5/2024	~ 3 d	THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 681	Last known position 350 miles NE of Bermuda Islands
Hurley (SD)	4/4/2024	8 h	THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 682	Near Marathon, Iowa, US
Santa Fe County (NM)	3/29/2024	28 h	THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 680	Near Bloomfield, Iowa, US

Stratospheric balloons

Chronological lists of launches worldwide since 1947

Total number of balloon launches in the database: 15415

Last 30 records incorporated into our database (last update 3-May-2024 - 04:27:25pm)

About StratoCat

Some Statistics