Here you can browse StratoCat's comprehensive database of stratospheric balloon launches, sorted by year. Please note that while the database covers approximately 75% of global balloon launch activity since 1947, it does not provide statistically representative values yet. Consolidating all available data may take several years. Each blue badge number represents the launches performed for that year. Click on a year to view details of the flights including launch base, flight duration, mission purpose, and payload landing location. Some experiments offer further details such as operational accounts, scientific objectives, results, reference links, and related images. For the latest updates, check out the table at the bottom of this page featuring the thirty most recent database entries.
Total number of balloon launches in the database: 15809 |
194716 |
194822 |
194948 |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
195014 |
195164 |
1952141 |
1953532 |
1954315 |
1955336 |
1956825 |
1957483 |
1958879 |
1959502 |
1960429 |
1961407 |
1962393 |
1963341 |
1964464 |
1965482 |
1966442 |
1967386 |
1968328 |
1969347 |
1970367 |
1971248 |
1972263 |
1973244 |
1974181 |
1975271 |
1976213 |
1977210 |
1978191 |
1979235 |
1980193 |
1981140 |
1982156 |
1983146 |
1984108 |
1985115 |
1986105 |
1987104 |
1988128 |
1989103 |
1990127 |
1991113 |
1992137 |
199386 |
1994112 |
1995113 |
199674 |
1997112 |
1998107 |
1999125 |
2000123 |
200196 |
200281 |
200382 |
2004102 |
2005128 |
2006109 |
200773 |
200863 |
200966 |
201074 |
201156 |
201296 |
2013196 |
201462 |
201550 |
201646 |
2017119 |
2018191 |
2019283 |
2020274 |
2021155 |
202278 |
202385 |
202488 |
202510 |
||||
Last 30 records incorporated into our database (last update 19-Apr-2025 - 12:35:18pm)
| Launch base | Date | Flight Duration | Experiment | Payload landing place or cause of the failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Yakima (WA) | 3/7/2025 | --- | LIGHTNING - STATIC FOCUS 3 | --- No Data --- |
| Hurley (SD) | 3/28/2025 | 4 h 45 m | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 727 | Near Hudson, Iowa, US |
 Aire Sur L'Adour | 10/19/1981 | --- | LIMB CAMERAS | --- No Data --- |
 TIFR Hyderabad | 1/21/2024 | 3 h | PAYLOAD UNKNOWN | --- No Data --- |
| TIFR Hyderabad | 8/12/2024 | PAYLOAD UNKNOWN | --- No Data --- | |
| TIFR Hyderabad | 12/5/2024 | PAYLOAD UNKNOWN | --- No Data --- | |
| TIFR Hyderabad | 3/29/2025 | 9 h | PAYLOAD UNKNOWN | Near Sangole, India |
| Webster (SD) | 3/21/2025 | --- | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 726 | Wof Sibley, Iowa, US |
| Webster (SD) | 3/20/2025 | 24 h | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 725 | Last known position near Amiret, Minnesota, USA |
| Chamberlain Muni (SD) | 3/17/2025 | 28 h | THUNDERHEAD FLIGHT 724 | E of Spooner, Wisconsin, US |
| Hurley (SD) | 2/22/2025 | 5 h 50 m | LIGHTNING FLIGHT 718 | Near Harvey, Iowa, US |
| Hurley (SD) | 2/22/2025 | 6 h | LIGHTNING FLIGHT 719 | Near Ottumwa, Iowa, US |
| Gap-Tallard | 5/??/1969 | --- | CERENKOV COUNTER TELESCOPE | --- No Data --- |
| Aire Sur L'Adour | 9/??/1968 | --- | CERENKOV COUNTER TELESCOPE | --- No Data --- |
 Fort Churchill (MB) | 7/29/1972 | 20 h 17 m | PAYLOAD UNKNOWN | Near Embarras, Alberta, Canada |
| Fort Churchill (MB) | 7/14/1972 | 15 h 23 m | PAYLOAD UNKNOWN | In a lake, 50 miles N of Uranium City, Canada |
| Red Deer (AB) | 10/27/1972 | --- | MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER | Balloon split after release and before lift off |
| Hurley (SD) | 1/24/2025 | --- | LIGHTNING FLIGHT 716 | NE of Bethany, Illinois, US |
| TIFR Hyderabad | 8/1/2024 | --- | PAYLOAD UNKNOWN | --- No Data --- |
| TIFR Hyderabad | 1/17/2025 | --- | ELECTRIC FIELD STUDIES | Jalsangi village in Bidar district, Karnataka, India |
| Palestine (TX) | 2/22/1963 | --- | STRATOSCOPE II - SCIENTIFIC FLIGHT # 1 (FAILED ATTEMPT) | Aborted flight due to balloon burst in launch pad. |
| Red Cloud (NE) | 7/8/1997 | SOUNDER STRATOSPHERIC AIRSHIP | --- No Data --- | |
| Muluk | 11/19/2024 | --- | PAYLOAD UNKNOWN | --- No Data --- |
 McMurdo | 12/21/2024 | 11 d 6 h 57 m | SALTER TEST FLIGHT UNIVERSAL | 205 km ENE from McMurdo Station |
| Akron (OH) | 2/5/1959 | RADAR AND CAMERAS | Somewhere in Wisconsin, US | |
| Syowa | 2/3/2024 | 61 h | LODEWAVE (LOng-Duration balloon Experiment of gravity WAVE over Antarctica) | --- No Data --- |
| Syowa | 1/8/2024 | 66 h | LODEWAVE (LOng-Duration balloon Experiment of gravity WAVE over Antarctica) | --- No Data --- |
| Aire Sur L'Adour | 10/??/1966 | UV TELESCOPE | --- No Data --- | |
| Aire Sur L'Adour | 9/21/1965 | --- | UV TELESCOPE | --- No Data --- |
| Aire Sur L'Adour | 6/??/1965 | ~ 5 h | UV TELESCOPE | --- No Data --- |
About StratoCat
Some Statistics
+ 20 articles from different contributors
+ 15814 balloon launch records already published
+ 15911 balloon launch records in the full database
StratoCat is a non-profit, educational and informative website created, developed and programmed by Luis E. Pacheco. It is based on an idea first conceived by the author in 2001 and is online since September 17th, 2005.
This website is an independent initiative, and thus is not endorsed, supported or have any relationship with any governmental or private agency or company in the balloon field.
Page generated on 19-Apr-2025 - 12:35:18pm 
© StratoCat 2005~2025 - All Rights Reserved.